We've set out what safeguards the government is proposing to protect feed safety, and the benefits of authorising PAP in pig and poultry feed in this explainer:
Proposed safeguards
ABP (animal by-product) for use in processed animal protein (PAP) can only be sourced from single species slaughterhouses/cutting plants unless pig/poultry/ruminant lines are physically separate (in which case regular sampling and analysis is required to avoid cross contamination)
Rendering plants, feed ingredient manufacturers and compound feed mills producing/using PAP must be single species, unless production lines, collection, storage and transport are all physically separated (in which case regular sampling and analysis is also required to avoid cross contamination)
Feed ingredient manufacturers and compound feed mills using ruminant gelatine/collagen must be only producing feed for non-ruminants, unless production lines, collection, storage and transport are all physically separate (in which case regular sampling and analysis is also required to avoid cross contamination)
Home compounders and Farms using PAP must be single-species, unless on-farm measures can be demonstrated that prevent compound feed being fed to an animal for which it is not intended (these measures are not provided in the consultation document)
Clear feed labelling must be in place to say which animal-derived PAP is being used and which species it can be fed to.
Similar preventative measures are also required for insect PAP, to prevent any cross contamination with ruminant feed.
These safeguards are also mirrored in the EU and actual uptake of PAP in pig and poultry diets there has been low. This is likely to also be a challenge here, as there are not many single species feed mills outside of the fully integrated poultry businesses, and there is likely to be a proportion of producers who rear poultry as well as other species of livestock on their holding.
Additionally porcine PAP would not be compatible with Halal or Kosher poultry requirements, which would be another significant barrier to use by members supplying the independent poultry wholesale market.
What are the benefits?
These proposals would bring GB legislation in line with the changes made in the EU and Northern Ireland in 2021, levelling the playing field for British pig and poultry producers.
Animal and insect PAP is a highly digestible, high quality source of protein that also contains trace minerals.
Including porcine and insect PAP in poultry rations could reduce soya usage as well as reducing the requirement for additional minerals such as inorganic phosphorus. This could significantly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions linked to poultry rations and by extension, UK poultry production as a whole.
Authorising poultry PAP in pig feed would be an additional market for poultry ABP and could potentially increase demand and value for poultry processing by-products.
Insects such as the black soldier fly can be reared on a range of substrates, including waste products, potentially reducing the land area required to produce poultry feed.
Given sufficient investment and demand, it would be possible to produce insect meal in the UK, making it a home-grown protein.
If agricultural waste products could be safely used as a substrate, the potential demand for insect meal as a feedstuff for pigs and poultry could help reduce losses associated with waste and contribute significantly towards a circular economy and agriculture's net zero ambition.
This may also create opportunities for farmers to rear insects on-farm as an additional revenue stream.
