An In-Depth Analysis of Ten Major Phenomena in the Feed Industry
In 2013, affected by sluggish consumption of major livestock products such as pigs and poultry meat, demand in the feed market was weak, and feed output declined slightly. Wang Xiaohong, Director of the Feed Division of the Animal Husbandry Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, provided an in-depth analysis of the ten major phenomena currently existing in the feed industry.
One: Why should the industry entry threshold be raised?
1. Industry development status
In 2013, the national total output of commercial feed was 193.4 million tons, down 0.6% year on year. With the continuous development and changes of China's feed industry in recent years, competition in the industry has intensified. In order to better promote the healthy development of the feed industry and rectify irrational elements, in accordance with the newly revised Regulations on the Administration of Feed and Feed Additives and other requirements, starting from July 2014, feed production enterprises uniformly use new production licenses, and the original inspection qualification certificates become invalid. The entry "threshold" for feed production enterprises has been raised, with higher requirements put forward in terms of process equipment, quality inspection and other aspects.
2. Changes in the breeding industry
At present, as the scale of domestic breeding enterprises continues to increase, demand characteristics are changing, such as greater emphasis on quality and safety, and the feed industry is therefore undergoing a transformation of its market structure and product structure. The new Regulations will accelerate the current trend of increasing concentration in the feed industry, with small enterprises quickly eliminated and large enterprises continuously expanding their scale.
⟦NL> 3. Quality and safety assurance
It is understood that the new Regulations mainly strengthen management of the quality and safety of feed and feed additives, and clarify the safety responsibilities of local governments, feed management departments and producers and operators. For example, they stipulate that local people's governments at or above the county level shall exercise unified leadership over the supervision and administration of feed within their administrative regions, and require management departments at all levels to test feed and release quality and safety early warning information.
4. Fair and orderly competition
Small enterprises may be shut out because of limited investment capacity, but this is an opportunity for enterprises with strong strength and a solid foundation. A group of strong enterprises may use this opportunity to become bigger and stronger.
Two: Why should quality and safety management standards be implemented?
The Standards for Quality and Safety Management of Feed were deliberated and approved at the 11th executive meeting of the Ministry of Agriculture on December 27, 2013, and are hereby promulgated, effective from July 1, 2015. Director Wang stated that the government's formulation of feed quality and safety management standards is a standard for enterprise production and operation, a yardstick for industry supervision and law enforcement, and a basis for dynamic management. It is necessary for doing a good job in supervision before, during and after the event, and for a system that is within reach, rather than simply pursuing international equivalence.
Three: Why can a laboratory not be shared?
Each production plant has different testing frequencies and varieties, so feed safety is an important part of animal-derived food. Director Wang stated that feed testing currently needs to be divided into separate laboratories, which is required for daily testing, required by regulatory standards, and must be considered for the long-term development of feed enterprises. Well-equipped enterprises could also undertake third-party testing, but this is not yet permitted, because it would lead some enterprises to give up independently establishing this capability.
Four: Why "fight" over sodium chloride enforcement authority?
The campaign to clear out "feed additive sodium chloride" has played out in many places across the country, especially in Henan, where more than 100 salt industry departments seized it. Additives recognized as legal by agricultural departments were seized by salt industry departments, and enterprises even faced criminal liability. In the eyes of these two departments, "salt" is interpreted as two different items under national standards and regulations. But whether sodium chloride is salt, and who has jurisdiction, Director Wang stated that sodium chloride and edible salt are two different products, and there are regulations to rely on, as well as catalogues and standards for reference.
Five: Why do we not speak out for MRI?
Director Wang stated that MRI is, first, a product that has not passed safety evaluation; second, a violation of relevant laws and regulations, which is a deception of farmers and also a deception of enterprises; and third, something not included in signed contracts.
Six: Why can breeding levels not improve in step?
The pace of improvement in breeding levels remains slow. The main reasons lie in the gap in feed conversion ratio, the uncontrollability of raw materials, incomplete management levels, and relatively backward technology.
Seven: Why can problematic products not be curbed in time?
When it comes to problematic products, they have consistently not been curbed in time. The main reasons are still that notifications about problematic products cannot be seen in time, there is no strict cross-checking and inspection, and it is impossible to decide whether use should be stopped.
Eight: Why can near-infrared technology not be shared?
An explanation was also given as to why near-infrared technology cannot be shared, mainly because of limitations related to choline chloride, online testing, resource conservation, and ensuring safety.
Nine: Why can antibiotics not be abandoned?
Academician Li Defa once proposed the goal that China would sooner or later stop using antibiotics. At present, completely eliminating them may not be very realistic, but they should not be added without limit, thereby causing serious adverse effects on the further prevention and treatment of livestock and poultry diseases and on human health. Therefore, the use of antibiotic additives is being increasingly strictly restricted in countries around the world. In order to find alternatives to antibiotics, many animal husbandry and veterinary workers at home and abroad have conducted extensive research and developed green feed additives that can effectively prevent the occurrence of livestock and poultry diseases while also promoting growth, with small toxic side effects, no drug residues, and no drug resistance. Probiotics, oligosaccharides, enzyme preparations, small-molecule bioactive peptides, and Chinese herbal medicines are among their main representatives. Therefore, we need to establish a complete application system to reduce drug residues, starting from the grassroots level, to ensure the healthy development of the livestock industry.
Ten: Why are mycotoxins difficult to eliminate?
How to control main raw materials; how to choose added products; how to improve production technology. Controlling mycotoxins is not a simple task. Because there are too many types of toxins and interactions exist among the toxins, a single solution is difficult to fully effective. Research has confirmed that using a combination of selected adsorbents and biotransformation technology to treat feed contaminated by mycotoxins has a good detoxification effect. Mycotoxin response plans, although difficult to compare, must be carried out. How to improve production technology. Controlling mycotoxins is not a simple task. Because there are too many types of toxins and interactions exist among the toxins, a single solution is difficult to fully effective. Research has confirmed that using a combination of selected adsorbents and biotransformation technology to treat feed contaminated by mycotoxins has a good detoxification effect. Mycotoxin response plans, although difficult to compare, must be carried out.