Safe and sustainable integration of food by-products into pig feed
About this good practice
The use of food by-products as animal feed is a widespread traditional practice, but the use of inappropriate and unsafe food by-products in the pig feed is a critical pathway for spreading diseases.
The enterprises are trying to recover from the consequences of COVID-19, in front of the threaten of the global economic changes and energy crisis, due to the war in Ukraine. This good practice aims to support and help the breeders, by lowering the prices of the animal feed, but in good quality.
CPigFeed develops all the necessary tools and methodologies to overcome barriers (technical, economic and social) that prevent the use of food by-products in the pig feed mixture, and thus to promote the principles of the Circular Economy in the production of animal feed.
This good practice brings together scientists and researchers with broad scientific expertise in order to make the incorporation of food by-products into the pig feed safe, economically feasible and environmentally sustainable. For this purpose, CPigFeed develops intelligent information tools and traceability applications, and demonstrate them on a decentralized supply chain of food by-products that is set up in a typical Greek pig farm. Thus, food by-products are incorporated in the pig feed mixture, after setting-up a protocol for their safe incorporation, and after assessing the impact of the new feed mixture on the health and welfare of pigs, as well as the yield and quality of the final product (pork).
Resources needed
The action has been co‐financed by the European Regional Development Fund of the European Union and Greek national funds through the Operational Program Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, under the call RESEARCH – CREATE – INNOVATE (project code:T1EDK-04537). The budget is 811.022€.
Evidence of success
Totally ~1300kg of bakery meal have been produced and fed on a scheduled experimental basis to piglets.
Potential for learning or transfer
This good practice is a good way of saving food waste, it is easy to expand in the country and reach easily the breedfeeders' needs. The interesting point is that a label will be created, giving total traceability of the product. Also, an app will be developed, which will give the potential of real-time availability of food by-products, through an online marketplace. The tools mentioned above will easily expand the network and the logistics, that means that the suppliers of food by-products will soon increase in number in national level. This will result in an increase of number of the pig farms that will use the products.Until now, there is only one pig farm using the products as pig feed, but the good practice is now spreading to the breedfeeders, with several contacts with them.
Further information
Website
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
Ινστιτούτο Βιο-Οικονομίας και Αγρο-Τεχνολογίας (iBO)