APPENDEX II TO ANNEX III
OF FINAL REPORT
OF THE CONCERTED ACTION
"ANIMAL FEED AND NUTRITION" (AFN)
“FEED DATA BASES,
FEED DATA MANAGEMENT AND FEED DATA EXCHANGE
IN EUROPE;
PROCEEDINGS OF SESSION 2 OF THE NUTRITION COMMISSION DURING THE 42ND ANNUAL MEETING EAAP IN BERLIN 1991
CONTENTS
1.Programme of session 2 of the Nutrition Commission of EAAP,
42nd annual meeting in Berlin 1991page 3
2.The importance of access to international standardised information on feeds and feeding in general and for the development of sound animal production systems in particular.
F. Prévost, EEC, Brussels, Belgium.Page 4
3.The International Network of Feed Information Centres as an umbrella of international Feed Data Exchange.
J.E. Knipfel, Agriculture Canada, Canadapage 8
4.The European Network of Feed Information Centres as contributor to more efficient animal nutrition in the European Hemisphere. Report of EAAP-Working group "Feed Data Bases, Feed Data Management and Feed Data Exchange in Europe"
J.M.C. Ramelho Ribeiro, Estaca Zootecnica Nacional, Vale de Santarem, Portugal page 16
5.Current situation, development and future prospects of Feed Data Bases in:
-Western Europe (NL, UK, F, G)
D.I. Givens, ADAS Feed Evaluation Unit, Stratford on Avon, UKpage 27
-Eastern Europe (PL, USSR, H, Tsj.-Sl)
Antoniewicz, Institut Zootechniki, Crakow, Polandpage 31
-Northern Europe (S, N, Finl, DK)
F. Strudsholm, LRGC, Aarhus, Denmark.page 33
-Southern Europe (It, JSl, GR., P, Esp.)
P. Susmel, Universita 'Degli Studi Di Udine, Italypage 36
PROGRAMME OF SESSION 2 OF THE NUTRITION COMMISSION OF EAAP,
42nd Annual Meeting in Berlin 1991
"FEED DATA BASES, FEED DATA MANAGEMENT AND
FEED DATA EXCHANGE IN EUROPE"
("INFORMATION ON COMPOSITION AND FEEDING VALUE OF FEEDS")
Chairman (N. Benedictus, INFIC)
Monday 9 September 1991, 13.30 - 17.30 hours
13.30 - 14.151.The importance of access to international standardised information on feeds and feeding in general and for the development of sound animal production systems in particular.
F. Prevost, EEC, Brussels, Belgium.
14.15 - 15.002.The International Network of Feed Information Centres as an umbrella of international Feed Data Exchange.
J.E. Knipfel, Agriculture Canada, Canada
15.00 - 15.30 Tea
15.30 - 15.50 3.The European Network of Feed Information Centres as contributor to more efficient animal nutrition in the European Hemisphere. Report of EAAP-Working group "Feed Data Bases, Feed Data Management and Feed Data Exchange in Europe"
J.M.C. Ramelho Ribeiro, Estaca Zootecnica Nacional, Portugal
15.50 - 16.50 4.Current situation, development and future prospects of Feed Data Bases in:
-Western Europe (NL, UK, F, G)
D.I. Givens, ADAS, UK
(15.50 - 16.05)
-Eastern Europe (PL, USSR, H, Tsj.-Sl)
Antoniewicz, Institut Zootechniki, Crakow, Poland
(16.05 - 16.20)
-Northern Europe (S, N, Finl, DK)
F. Strudsholm, LRGC, Aarhus, Denmark.
(16.20 - 16.35)
-Southern Europe (It, JSl, GR., P, Esp.)
P. Susmel, Universita 'Degli Studi Di Udine, Italy
(16.35 - 16.50)
16.50 - 17.30 5.Posterpresentation (and explanation), regarding examples of results of animal nutrition research ready for submission to Feed Information Centres for inclusion in Feed Tables etc.
THE IMPORTANCE OF ACCESS TO INTERNATIONAL STANDARDISED INFORMATION ON FEEDS AND FEEDING IN GENERAL AND FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOUND ANIMAL PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN PARTICULAR.
François Prevost
Animal feedingstuffs Division VI C 2
Directorate-General for Agriculture
Commission of the European Communities
Introduction
Instead of Mr. J. Sousa Uva, Head of the Division for animal feedingstuffs of the Commission of the European Communities I am going to talk to you about the importance of the feedingstuff sector within agriculture and the necessity to create instruments for the management and following of this market.
To illustrate my analysis I shall base myself on European Community information but I am sure that everyone will be able to apply it to his or her own situation.
1. The central position of animal feedingstuffs within agriculture
Large quantities of agricultural crops are involved in animal nutrition :
-the bulk of the community production of cereals and oil-rich pulses (arable land) goes into animal nutrition as well as
-almost all grassland produce (permanent grassland) and other home-grown fodder crops.
All in all, almost three quarters of the cultivated land is used for animal nutrition without taking into account the numerous by-products of the agro-industry (bran, oilcakes, corn-gluten feed, pulp ...) whose value is enhanced by animal nutrition. Thus animal nutrition provides a substantial income to those concerned and takes care of what is generally regarded as waste from the environmental point of view.
From the point of view of animal production, animal nutrition accounts for the principal input (50 to 80%) of the costs of meat production depending on the species of animal. It plays a major role in the conversion of primary often non-edible products (grasses, by-products) to edible animal products and contributes significantly to the supply of high-quality animal protein food for human consumption.
The exchange of information on feedingstuffs and their use is in this context of paramount importance. It is the link between animal production and crop production/land use and it can contribute to a micro-economic and macro-economic balance. Even if the animal nutrition market itself is not subject to a specific organization within the EC it reflects quite clearly the development of animal production and crop production markets since these two markets meet at the demand for animal feedingstuffs. The slides given in the annex represent meat consumption in the Community from 1984/85 to 1990/91 enabling us to trace the stakes and the major developments over that period.
2. The creation of instruments to follow and manage the animal nutrition market
There ought to be a set of instruments to follow and manage the animal nutrition market in terms of prices, quantities, animal diet and quality. These instruments serve the aim of working out an overall animal nutrition policy covering :
-the development of demand by following animal production;
-the development of supply by following the results of the supply of crop products and of large-scale farming and set-aside;
-the interaction between supply and demand by working out the animal feedingstuff matrices per livestock category;
-price relations at levels of supply (effects of substitution) and between supply and demand (meat/feed index).
In practice, at a macro-economic level these instruments are built on a dynamic and manageable statistic basis covering several units (region, country, Community) so that the characteristics of each entity can be taken into account.
The micro-economic level makes it possible to interpret the overall indicators (composition of feedingstuff, production structure, interaction roughage/ concentrates intake). This construction must allow a better programming of crop production and domestic animals with a parallel following of foreign trade (exports/imports) thanks to a proper reading of the market not only in terms of statistics but also in political terms, based on the indicators which shed light on possible substitutes and input/output relations.
The information gathered on the representative points concerning animal production and consumption at farm level and at the level of the animal nutrition industry allows an elaboration of the nutritional constraints to respond to the needs of the animal for nutritious elements and to establish standards for the use of raw material in the general diet. This requires an adequate approach to the composition of available products on the one hand and on the other to the needs of the animal according to the system of production that is used (intensive or extensive) as well as the fodder balance (supply and demand) of the farm to evaluate roughage intake, optimize its utilization and determine the need for compound feed or complementary feedingstuffs.
The industrial compounder resolves this problem with the help of linear programming introducing :
-the nutritional value of raw material (energy content, proteins, cellulose, amino acids, minerals ...);
-the constraints on the formula (minimum/maximum of each raw material, minimum/maximum of nutritional elements to be obtained in the composed feedingstuff);
-the price of the various raw materials.
On the basis of these data the optimum formula is obtained against minimum costs and taking full account of the quantitative and nutritional constraints; besides, the invariance price bracket of a raw material to retain its rate of mixing is determined.
This quantitative and qualitative information about the global diet allows the elaboration of the consumption indexes (quantity of feedingstuff plotted versus the energy necessary to produce 1 kg of meat).
It also permits to understand the effects of substitution from the feedingstuff point of view (substitute one feedingstuff partly or entirely for another or for a mixture equivalent in terms of nutrition, but costing less).
From the land use point of view the way of feeding is not neutral because it constitutes the principal outlet for applying crop rotation. The competition between agricultural productions is expressed differently for the use of land (land use) and for animal consumption (feed use). This may be illustrated by the competition between pulses and cereals;
land use :1000 ha of pulses instead of 1000 ha cereals and yielding a production of 5000 t of pulses used in animal feeding, replace a production of 7000t of cereals which would have been exported considering the aspect of surplus results (assuming that the effective results are 5t/ha and 7t/ha respectively);
feed use :5000t of pulses instead of 3000 t of cereals and 2000t of soya oilcake (considering a common energy value of 1 FU/kg and a protein content of respectively 10% concerning cereals, 25% concerning pulses and 46% concerning soya oilcakes).
Consequence : the production of 5000 t of pulses yields a "net saving" of export potential of 4000 t of cereals (7000 - 3000). This net saving could even reach 7000 t of cereals if the substitution of pulses/manioc, soya had been envisaged.
Likewise, an area set aside yields a corresponding net saving of large-scale farming less the feed value of silage possibly produced and consumed by livestock. The use of agricultural products for non-food purposes shows the balance of the same quantities less the feed value of the by-products consumed by livestock (estimated at one third of the quantities claimed in the case of cereals).
3. The exchange of harmonized information.
Eventually, the elaboration of the optimum intake (roughage + concentrates intake) can only be obtained through a regular exchange of harmonized information both at a worldwide level (national, communal) and at a regional level at the continued spaces integrating the development of systems of production of representative enterprises. This exchange of information leads, moreover, to :
-adjust the cropping plan and the management of agricultural land;
-minimize the costs of animal production;
-reduce the negative effects on the environment (disposal of manure in keeping with feeding methods and livestock densities);
-guarantee the quality of the end product and its added value;
-optimize feedingstuff returns in meat;
-improve the breeder's income and his quality of live.
Annex
Slides
1.Development of meat production
2.Meat consumption per head
3.Assessment of demand for concentrates per livestock category
4.Milk production; number of dairy cows; average yield/cow
5.Development of prices and animal consumption of marketable key products
6/7.Competitiveness of cereals in comparison with soya and key products
8.Development of the Dollar/ECU parity
THE INTERNATIONAL NETWORK OF FEED INFORMATION CENTRES
AS AN UMBRELLA FOR INTERNATIONAL DATA EXCHANGE.
J.E. Knipfel
Research Station
Research Branch
Agriculture Canada
Swift Current , Saskatchewan
Canada
Abstract
INFIC was conceived as a forum or umbrella for the exchange of information on feed composition, nutritive values of feeds of feedstuffs, and tear relation to their production. In the two decades since the concept of INFIC was first proposed, there have been tremendous changes in capability to exchange and process feedstuffs databases trough the development of microcomputer technology, which have forced a shift in concepts of the organisation an functioning of feed information centres. At the same time there ave been significant changes in analytical methodology for feedstuffs composition, as well as the expression of nutritive values.
All these factors point out a need for alterations in several facets of the INFIC operational structure, and some have occurred, notably in creation of an INFIC secretariat in Lelystad, the Netherlands. Other proposals include examination of the International Feed Classification System, developed of networks of database worldwide, and more effort in the areas of analytical methodology and nutritive values expression.
The major limitation to increased activity by INFIC is a lack of support in financial terms by many governments, and international bodies. Continued growth of the INFIC organization is centred in Europe for at present and this activity is expected to increase. There is an urgent need to revitalize North America in this area as well as to extend efforts into developing nations globally.
Introduction
The concept that there should be a forum for international feed data exchange was originally developed long before the INFIC organization came to existence, originating with nineteenth and early twentieth century developments in expression of nutritive value, and documented in publications of comparative nutritive values of feeds, such as those of Kellner (1905) and Henry (1898).
During this century there has been a proliferation of data on nutritive values and compositions of feeds which have been tabulated in a host of publications, usually in conjunction with tables of nutrient requirements or allowance standards for animals. These publications have developed largely along national or regional lines although the differences among some systems of expressing nutrient requirements or allowances have been reduced considerably with the adoption of some modification of net energy and utilizable protein expressions.
Within the same period there have been many new laboratory methods developed for estimating the nutritive value of feeds, many of which may be poorly understood outside the region of use. The recent developments in the area of instrumental methods for analysis, for example Near Infrared Spectroscopy, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, have added, and will continue to add more analytical capability but at the same time more uncertainly in terms of standardized methodology.
The largest single use of these data has been and will continue to be for ration formulation for livestock, although increasingly the data are used in the feedstuffs industry for pricing and regulation, that is, for the setting of quality standards for local, regional, and international use.
Since the advent of the computer whit it's associated ration formulation and database manipulation software, and with the development of microcomputer technology, the use and availability of feedstuffs databases has increased by orders of magnitude, although there has been a lack of adoption of common systems.
The great proliferation of information in the areas of feedstuffs composition, nutritive value assessment and expression, and in the application of these data to animal production, suggest that there should be a coordinating body which would provide a forum or "umbrella" for the development of more universal approaches to these problems.
I submit that INFIC is in a strong position to carry out this "umbrella" role, as a result of historical development, present interest by a number of parties, and potential for future activities and support. There are, however, a number of problems which need to be overcome. In this presentation I will attempt to outline the past, present and future roles which INFIC can play in the subject of not only feedstuffs data exchange but also in a number of associated areas.
At the Second Symposium of INFIC, held in Sydney, Australia, in 1983, Dr. Balch, in his opening address to the symposium, outlined the Past, Present and Future of INFIC. In the eight years which have transpired since the Second Symposium there have been significant changes in the INFIC organisation, for the most part positive, but not entirely so. I will examine the concept of the "umbrella" function of INFIC in relation to Dr. Balch's remarks, in relation to events of the past decade and their impact on INFIC, and in relation to potential future activities of the organisation.
We need to examine the following questions in some detail:
-Where has INFIC been?
-Where is INFIC now?
-Where should INFIC go?
These questions need to be answered in terms of feedstuffs composition, nutritive value and animal production parameters, database functions, and the ability of INFIC to carry out its Umbrella function on a global basis.
1. Historical Developments of INFIC
In looking back to the history of feed composition reporting, efforts in this area have been ongoing for more than 100 years, and are closely tied to the development of systems for expression of nutritive value. Current publications of animal nutrient allowances or suggested requirements invariably contain a substantial body of information on feedstuffs composition, usually for feeds of regional interest.
Why would this be appropriate?
The obvious difficulties in times and costs of obtaining nutritive values for large numbers of feeds from direct animal experiments have led to the concept of "prediction" of nutritive value from more rapid and less costly indicators of nutritive value such as various measurements of feed composition. Unfortunately, there have been only sporadic attempts to develop standardized procedures for analysis and reporting, and thus there are developed a host of expressions of nutritive value and feed composition, all of which are more or less interrelated, but for which the quantitative relationships are open to discussion, and are the subject of frequent argument.
Regardless of the expression of feed composition and nutrient allowance used, the primary use of the data is in the formulation of rations for livestock. In this context, the largest single influence in the past quarter century upon the ability to formulate rations has been the development of computer technology.
During the late 1940s, Dr. Haendler and colleagues at Hohenheim University and Dr. Harris and co-workers at Utah State University, independently began to develop computerised systems for documentation of feedstuffs composition and nutritive values. These two initial visions form the basis for development of more recent and present efforts being made worldwide in feedstuffs database management and use and have been the cornerstones upon which INFIC has been built. It should not be forgotten that these pioneers did nit simply store data but intended the systems as a means of exchange of information and a meeting point for relating feedstuffs data and animal production worldwide.