Sustainability and climate neutrality are buzzwords of our time. The focus is often on animal husbandry and the call for meat renunciation and thus ultimately also the renunciation of animal husbandry. Is agricultural production without animal husbandry really sustainable and sensible?

Animal husbandry, and with it animal nutrition, are in a state of upheaval. The social and also the demands on the industry in puntco environmental and climate protection are increasing. Animal welfare is to be improved and emissions reduced. Science already has answers to some questions, but there is still work to be done in other fields.

Compound feed production in Europe is currently facing major challenges. The supply of raw materials is not always secured and when it is, it is at unusually high prices. Increasingly, these cannot be passed on to feed customers. Nevertheless, it is expected that the compound feed producers will succeed in meeting the usual demands on quality, hygiene and sustainability, for example.

Even in difficult times, technical developments and innovations take place throughout the feed chain. Raw materials can be technically processed in such a way that their feed value is increased. But there are also innovations in hygienisation at the various stages of compound feed production, which we will present in the run-up to Victam.

Feed mills are full of technology that is constantly evolving. This is not only to improve efficiency and profitability, but also to meet the demands of animal nutrition. Only companies that keep their finger on the pulse of the times with their equipment and are open to innovations can meet the growing demands on feed production.

As in many other industries, the feed industry has recognised that sustainability is an essential direction for sustaining life on earth. Among other things, FEFAC as the European umbrella organisation of the feed industry has created a basis for measuring the ecological footprint of the feed industry with the Product Environmental Footprint Category Rule (PEFCR) Feed for Food-Producing Animals. More and more feed companies are referring to this in their sustainability guidelines.

For the technical equipment of a compound feed mill, it is important to take advantage of advances in feed processing. Thus, replacement investments should not only pursue pure replacement but also provide for progress - especially in terms of animal welfare and animal health, as shown in this issue by the example of a crushing roller mill with individual roller drive.

The conditions in the compound feed mill, transport vesel and feed trough can be very stressful for additives. Temperature, pressure, humidity, vibration and other influences are involved when an additive does not have the effect it should have. This has to be taken into account in development and formulation if the compound feed producer and the livestock farmer are to be satisfied with a product and the return on investment makes it economical to use.