The Current Situation:

Although the world's population is expected to grow by only 25% in the next 20 years, an increase of 50% in the demand for food of animal origin is projected. The decrease in absolute and per capita land area available for agricultural use will result in less area available for producing feed and lead to increased competition between humans and animals for energy and nutrients.

In this context it is an important challenge to the science of animal nutrition to discover and exploit new resources, particularly products which cannot be used directly by humans (e.g. high-fiber organic substances) or which are considered undesirable or unsuitable for human consumption (offal and other food industry by-products).

On a global level, recycling of organic by-products and waste as animal feed follows two different, complementary trends: In the world's highly-developed industrial regions, the use of these substances in feed provides environmentally friendly and economical disposal, whereas in the "poorer" countries it serves primarily as a qualitative and quantitative enhancement of the feed supply.

More and more, increasingly industrialized food production and processing sites are being established in the vicinity of large urban centers, thus improving the conditions for the industrial use of by-products as feed. Companies specialized in the utilization of such substances are arising near large food production facilities, leading to the sensible and ecological, and therefore sustainable, value-added utilization of these resources as animal feed, instead of their disposal as waste (e.g. in landfills and the like).

Whereas the utilization of byproducts as animal feed was once an exemplary economic model for recycling, in recent years doubts have arisen, which are not entirely, but are nevertheless in one instance, due to the occurrence of BSE. The situation was exacerbated by the dioxin scandal; since then the use of by-products in animal feed has been increasingly subject to public criticism.

In a move to regain consumer confidence in food quality the EU produced the White Paper on Food Safety (12 Jan. 2000), which will have a significant impact on the utilization of by-products as feed. One thing is expected to be of enormous importance: the ensuing regulations are not to be based solely on scientific advice, but should include an assessment of the prevailing wishes and needs of society.

Goals: The exchange of information within the scientific community, between scientists and practitioners, and the public transfer of knowledge through the media.

In accordance with these goals the workshop was addressed not only to scientists in the fields of animal nutrition, animal production, environmental and food technology, but also to producers of by-products that could be used for feed, to disposal firms, to authorities responsible for licensing and surveillance, and to potential users and customers (especially feed industry, farmers).

For the various by-product groups particular emphasis was placed on the following issues: new scientific insights including practical experience and information on dosage (from primary production to consumption), nutritive value and possibilities for use in practice (including familiar by-products affected by new technology), problems and risks involved in use as feed, ecological significance (for business and national economics ), and determining factors in general. Abstracts of all contributions were made available at the beginning of the workshop; full versions appear as Proceedings in a
special issue (223)of Landbauforschung Völkenrode 2001. (Landbauforschung Völkenrode. Wissenschaftliche Mitteilung der Bundesforschungsanstalt für Landwirtschaft (FAL).
Reihe: Nachhaltige Tierproduktion. Expo 2000 Workshop. Tierernährung - Ressourccn und neue Aufgaben.
Tagungsband. J. Kamphues, G. Flachowsky, eds. Sonderheft 223, 2001,
ISSN 0376-0723, ISBN 3-933140-47, 462 pages, 35.00 DM.
The Proceedings can be ordered from the
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Results and Implications:

Familiar and novel by-products were described in terms of their quantitative significance and nutritional value, including product-specific risk factors. Of special interest were those familiar by-products which now present new nutritional profiles due to new technologies (e.g. whey products, molasses etc.).

While here we see a trend toward more by-products from the market for alcoholic beverages, snacks, candy, etc. (as opposed to the former prevalence of the basic food groups, such as flour), in less affluent parts of the world agricultural plant by-products should be of more interest. In addition to the need for appropriate quality control and product safety measures, in Europe there are currently two vital issues concerning the use of by-products as feed. First, the question of inactivating the BSE agent in the production of meat and bone meal (i.e. the possible transfer of infectious agents). In this case, the essential risk-minimizing measures consist of corresponding procedural conditions in the production of meat and bone meal and appropriate differentiation in the selection of raw materials.

But there is also the growing possibility that the use of by-products as feed will negatively affect the image of animal production and the reputation of the food produced.

The future of scientifically established, reasonable concepts for the use of by-products will be determined chiefly not by the scientific estimation of this practice, but by its social acceptance. Therefore this must be taken into consideration in future (transparence, information).

But it is very doubtful if it can be considered ecologically responsible, economically feasible or in the long term politically justifiable to use by-products considered valuable by nutritionists as fuel or to dispose of them as waste. Such a trend may be tenable for a short time in Europe, but it will not be acceptable worldwide, particularly in regions where feed supplies are scarce.