Feed optimization is essential for sustainable animal farming, enhancing resource efficiency and animal nutrition while tackling key environmental challenges such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, land-use change, and nutrient leakage (FEFAC, 2020).
Effective feed optimization strategies help meet the nutritional needs of animals, ensure feed safety, improve productivity, and maintain competitive production costs. Additionally, these strategies can reduce the environmental footprint of the animal protein supply chain.
Responsible Sourcing Practices
Promoting responsible sourcing practices is vital to ensure that raw materials, especially soy, used in feed production are sourced sustainably. This approach helps prevent deforestation and encourages environmentally responsible agricultural practices. Land-use change driven by increased demand for feed crops is a significant source of emissions. Pigs and chickens that are fed a higher proportion of soybean meal from regions experiencing deforestation and land-use change tend to have significantly higher feed-related emissions (MacLeod et al., 2013).
In fact, the feed ingredient production stage represents the largest share of GHG emissions when considering the carbon footprint of animal products. This is particularly true for pork, poultry, eggs, and farmed fish, where the feed stage accounts for 70-80% of total emissions (FEFAC, 2020). Therefore, strategies aimed at reducing the demand for raw ingredients are essential.
Upcycling
The feed industry is increasingly adopting upcycling — repurposing food waste and by-products from other industries into feed ingredients — to reduce waste, support a circular economy, and lessen the demand for new raw materials. Upcycled feed ingredients include food waste, meat and bone meal, and co-products from other industries.
Livestock, pigs, poultry, and fish can efficiently convert these by-products into high-quality protein, reducing the need for primary feed crops and addressing waste disposal challenges. Upcycling is a well-established practice in the U.S. feed industry (AFIA, 2025). In Europe, by 2030, 50% of the raw materials used in the Belgian animal feed sector are expected to come from food and biofuel co-products, highlighting the industry’s commitment to sustainability and resource efficiency (FEFAC, 2020).
Nutrient and resource efficiency
Resource and nutrient efficiency are central to modern animal nutrition. These concepts focus on optimizing the transfer of nutrients from feed to animals while minimizing nutrient losses, particularly those that lead to environmental problems such as nitrogen and phosphorus runoff.
Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) is a traditional performance indicator for feed efficiency in animal production. It measures the amount of feed required for an animal to grow by one kilogram or to produce one kilogram of milk or eggs. By improving FCR, less feed is needed to sustain or enhance productivity, thereby optimizing both resource use and economic efficiency. In meat production, animal feed often represents up to 80% of total costs, making improved FCR a key factor in lowering production expenses (Joseph, 2025).
Nutrient balance
Nutrient balance ensures that animals receive the appropriate levels of essential nutrients for optimal growth, health, and productivity. Crude protein (CP) is a key factor in determining nutrient balance in animal production, as it reflects the total amount of protein in a feed sample, calculated based on its nitrogen content. High CP levels can lead to excess nitrogen in manure, contributing to ammonia emissions and water pollution. Conversely, reducing CP in diets can help lower nitrogen excretion, reducing environmental pollution and improving sustainability. Adjusting crude protein intake while using alternative protein sources and optimizing the feed formulation to match an animal’s specific needs enhances feed efficiency, reduces waste, and can improve the overall economic efficiency of the production system.
How can Opteinics help on Feed Optimization
- Opteinics includes a dedicated feed module that allows users to assess the environmental impact of their feed formulations, taking into consideration ingredient proportion and origin. Additionally, Opteinics provides API integration with feed formulation software, enabling users to incorporate sustainability alongside nutritional and cost considerations.
- Opteinics covers all relevant resources and emissions of the animal production supply chain, including key processes such as farm performance data (FCR) and nutrient balance (CP and Phosphorus content).
References
American Feed Industry Association (AFIA). “Feed: Reducing Animal Agriculture’s Environmental Footprint.” AFIA, https://www.afia.org (accessed March 18, 2025).
FEFAC. (2020). FEFAC Feed Sustainability Charter 2030. Retrieved from https://fefac.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/FEFAC-Feed-Sustainability-Charter-2030.pdf.
Joseph, M., & Hall, S. (2025). Challenges and trends in animal nutrition and feed industry. Feed & Additive. https://www.feedandadditive.com/challenges-and-trends-in-animal-nutrition-and-feed-industry/ (accessed March 18, 2025).
MacLeod, M., Gerber, P., Mottet, A., Tempio, G., Falcucci, A., Opio, C., Vellinga, T., Henderson, B. & Steinfeld, H. 2013. Greenhouse gas emissions from pig and chicken supply chains – A global life cycle assessment. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome.
