UK livestock farmers concerned over soybean meal sustainability

According to a survey conducted on behalf of Trident, 48 percent of UK livestock farmers are concerned about the sustainability and long-term supply of soybean meal, with a similar number expressing concerns regarding the environmental impact of soybean meal production.
Half of the 500 farmers surveyed have considered alternatives to soybean meal, and 77 percent would probably buy such a feed if it was cost-effective and recommended by their adviser  but 28 percent aren’t aware that such alternatives exist.
“The long-term sustainability of our reliance on imported soybean meal is a very real concern for livestock farmers in the UK,” said Trident National General Manager Richard Cross. “But perhaps a bigger worry is that many farmers aren’t getting the information they need to successfully switch to alternative protein feeds. UK-produced distillers’ feeds and dedicated rumen-bypass protein supplements are both more cost-effective sources of the protein supplied by soybean meal, so there are options available for those wanting to change. What’s needed is a much more widespread awareness and understanding of how to use these feeds to reduce reliance on expensive imported proteins like soybean meal.” 

More distillers grains from US plants

An increased supply of distillers’ grains (DDGS) from biofuel production in the United States seems likely in 2010, with projections that the U.S. plants will boost their corn-based production of ethanol to around 45 billion liters from the 41 billion liters they produced in 2009. Their use of corn is projected to rise by at least 1% to almost 117 million metric tons, compared with about 140 million tons used for livestock feed.
The total 2010 crop is forecast at approximately 334 million tons as U.S. growers increase their corn acreage by an expected 3%. U.S. exports of DDGS for animal feed usage in 2009 represented 18% of the 30.5 million metric tons produced nationally. The largest export markets for the distillers’ grains were Mexico (taking 1.5 million tons), Canada (804,000 tons) and China (542,000 tons).

2009 distillers grains exports break previous record

The U.S. ethanol industry exported 5.64 million metric tons of distillers grains worth nearly $1B in 2009, breaking the previous record set in 2008, according to data released last week by the U.S. Foreign Agricultural Service. Exports in 2009 were 24% above 2008 levels and more than five times higher than the amount of distillers grains exported as animal feed just five years ago.
The top three export markets were Mexico (1.5 million metric tons), Canada (804,000 metric tons) and China (542,000 metric tons). Turkey and Thailand ranked fourth and fifth, respectively.
Total U.S. distillers grains production in 2009 was approximately 30.5 million metric tons.
Ethanol biorefineries produce about one bushel of high-protein distillers grains for every bushel of corn that enters a facility, according to the Renewable Fuels Association. The amount of distillers grains exported in 2009 is equivalent to the feed value of 5.4 million metric tons of whole corn and 1.6 million metric tons of soybean meal, according to displacement ratios developed by Argonne National Laboratory, a U.S. Department of Energy facility.