An industry that feeds the world

In 2019, animal diseases that broke out locally and internationally severely affected the animal feed industry. According to the 2018/19 Animal Feed Manufacturers’ Association (AFMA) Chairman’s Report, outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF) had a significant impact on China and other international markets during the first half of 2019. At the time of writing this article, the effects of ASF continued to affect the industry.

- Ursula Human

Locally, ASF also affected South African industries, but it had less of an impact on trade than the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, which halted beef and wool exports. The trade war between China and the United States (US), which affected the trade of feed commodities such as soya bean, also had an impact on the industry.

This article offers a brief overview of some of the significant factors that currently affect the feed industry locally and internationally.

Global overview

The 2016/17 AFMA Chairman’s Report expressed concern about international trade tensions that could threaten the feed industry. By the time the following report (2018/19) was published, the situation had deteriorated significantly.

Trade continues to be the cause of disagreement between global powers. Not only does trade wars such as the one between the US and China influence the global feed industry, but ongoing Brexit trade issues are also putting pressure on the global economy. Despite these hurdles, global feed production has continued to show an upward trend and is keeping up with the increasing demand caused by global population growth and an increase in demand for protein among middle-class consumers.

Overall, the feed industry grew by 3% (1,1 billion tons) in 2019 compared to the previous year. Feed companies generated more than $430 billion in revenue during this time. The report highlights the fact that, when considering the feed that is mixed on-farm, estimates show that approximately 2 billion tons of feed worth approximately $650 billion, was produced. According to the 2019 Alltech Global Feed Survey, Africa showed the highest growth in feed production output. Europe was the second-fastest growing region, with growth returning to 4%, as was recorded in 2017.

Overview of Africa