EUROPE — European feed suppliers AgruniekRijnvallei and Sonac, a Darling Ingredients’ brand, have begun supply of processed animal proteins (PAPs) in poultry feed.
The composition and concentration of amino acids make Porcine and avian PAPs valuable sources of highly digestible proteins for growing pigs broilers chickens and turkeys.
A research study done by 13 Dutch companies and research institutes shows that the digestible protein content of the products was generally higher than in PAPs of unspecified animal origin in feed tables.
Dutch group AgruniekRijnvallei Voer BV was the first European compound feed supplier to start processing PAPs for use in poultry feeds.
AR’s commercial director, Johan Schuttert, said that the feed supplier had done “everything possible” to be able to begin using PAPs in its feed. “We are proud that this effort has resulted in AR being the first compound feed supplier to start using this valuable raw material”, he said.
Sonac, a Darling Ingredients brand, also offers a broad range of PAPs for inclusion in poultry feed and has been supplying a number of compound feed producers in Germany and Netherlands.
Darling Ingredients’ nutrition and regulation manager, Carine van Vuure, told FeedNavigator that it took 6 months to get the PAP supply chain operational in the EU.
“While AR was the first European feed company to secure PAP supply, many other processors have since followed suit”, said van Vuure. “We have been taking a step-by-step approach. In the near future, we will look to supply poultry derived PAPs to feed for young piglets.”
While In the wake of the BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) crisis in 1994, a ban on the use of PAPs in ruminant feed was put in place.
Experts believe BSE is caused by feeding cattle feed made with meat and bone meal from infected animals.
In an effort to avoid possible cross-contamination, the ban on the use of PAPs was extended to all farm animals in 2001.
The ban was lifted in 2013 on the use of processed animal protein in fish feed and on July 2021 the EU council adopted a legislation that allows PAPs from pigs to be used in poultry feed, and from poultry to be used in pig feed.
The ban on the use of PAPs in feed for cows, sheep and other ruminants, and on intra-species recycling, remains in force. Additional types of PAPs will only be permitted for use in pig and poultry feed when they have been proven to be safe.
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