A recently released survey of U.S. feed mills shows meat and bone meal use continued to plummet in 2002, while poultry by-product meal saw significant gains.
The results of the Mill Managers’ Survey were published in the January 2003 issue of Feed Management magazine, and reports that concern over bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and inspections have caused feed mills to continue abandoning the use of meat and bone meal and other animal protein ingredients in animal diets. Less than 40 percent of U.S. mills reported using meat and bone meal in 2002, down from a high of 76.2 percent in 1997, the year the survey began.
Porcine by-product use also dropped last year, to 28.6 percent after a spike in 2001 of nearly 44 percent. The use in 2002 was comparable to previous years – 27 percent in 2000 and 25.4 percent in 1999. Blood meal has also seen a steady decline, down to 47.6 percent in 2002 versus a high of almost 71 percent in 1998. Dried plasma use dropped to 20.2 percent last year, compared to 46.3 percent in 2001. Fish meal use also decreased to 54.8 percent in 2002, a reduction of over 10 percent from the previous year and a nearly 20 percent drop since 1998.
The only positive news relating to animal proteins was that poultry by-product use in 2002 saw significant increases, with nearly 37 percent of respondents reporting they used the ingredient as opposed to just 22 percent in 2001.
The reduction in the use of animal proteins such as blood and dried plasma, and feather and fish meals is interesting to note since all products have shown to have no risk for transmitting BSE.
The Mill Managers’ Survey was sent to over 400 feed mills in the United States, to both integrated food companies and commercial feed companies, with a 20 percent response rate.
April 2003 Render