Spain consolidates its position as Europe's leading feed manufacturer

The animal feed industrial production was 2.3 million tons in 2019, 3.8% more than the previous year, according to the report presented by the sectoral association CESFAC.

This figure consolidates Spain as "the leading feed manufacturer in Europe", as stated by the CESFAC's President, Fernando Antúnez, during the report presentation, who also highlighted the importance of the pig sector, which last year accounted for 42% of feed production (Fig. 1).

Producción piensos
Fig. 1. Evolution of industrial animal feed production by species in Spain

Looking ahead to 2020, and as a result of the new situation arising from the COVID-19, Antúnez said that they foresee "a drop in production of around 3%. However, with this slight decrease and in accordance with European forecasts, we will continue to be the leading manufacturer of feed at European level". Within that fall, he outlined the decline in demand for feed for birds, one of the sectors that has suffered with the crisis.

Leonor Algarra, on behalf the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, also advanced that the ministry’s statistics in relation to total feed production include, in addition to industrial production, the own-farm feed production. According to this provisional data, in 2019, the total production amounted to 39.6 million tons, 7% more than in 2018.

Algarra placed the increase in national production over the last four years at 20%. "We are among the ten largest producers in the world", with the peculiarity of being highly dependent on raw materials from third countries, especially on proteins such as soy, she stated.

Among the outstanding challenges, the director pointed out limiting the import of raw materials from areas that contribute to the deforestation of the planet, sustainability, the reintroduction of processed animal proteins or the search for new protein crops within Europe to reduce dependence from abroad.

Source: revistaganaderia.com