At next month’s Cereals, HGCA will have a special exhibit focusing on the importance of animal feed which is the single largest end use from UK arable farms.

At present, over half of the grain produced in the UK becomes animal feed either directly, or as co-products from other end uses. This corresponds with a rise in the UK wheat area given over to group 4 varieties which also stands at over 50%.

“Farmers are attracted to feed varieties by the high yields on offer, which has bolstered the dominance of the feed wheat market,” explains Jack Watts, AHDB Lead Analyst. “But it is important to remember that feed grain markets still require high-quality, consistent and safe grain.”

HGCA has responded to this trend by looking at the whole animal feed sector so that HGCA can deliver real benefits to it. This includes a number of research projects on the nutritional value of grains and co-products as well as an analysis of the UK feed industry.

“Feed is not only an important end use in its own right, it supports the profitability and operation of the whole supply chain by making use of co-products,” says Dr Martin Grantley-Smith, HGCA Head of Business Development.

“Also, the feed industry is quite diverse as it provides products for a whole range of animals; firstly, you have ruminant and non-ruminant livestock which have quite different nutritional requirements. On top of that there are pet food, horse feed and feed for fish farms,” continues Dr Grantley-Smith.

“This means growers can target specific feed types by using the right varieties and agronomy helping boost profitability across the supply chain.”

To make this diverse range of products, the feed industry takes in all sorts of products from the UK and overseas including soya meal, sugar beet pulp and molasses, to name a few. However, the greatest part of the raw materials comes from UK arable farms so feed has been identified as a key area of work for HGCA.

Visitors to Cereals can find out more and discuss animal feed at the special exhibit on the HGCA stand. For more information, go to the HGCA Cereals minisite.