Feed Chats: Episode 3 with Séverine Deschandelliers

Episode 3 of Feed Chats had President of FEFANA, Séverine Deschandelliers, joined as a guest with Anton van den Brink, Senior Policy & Communications Manager at FEFAC, moderating the session. The episode is dedicated to a joint webinar FEFAC and AFIA are holding on 19 October about feed industry solutions to contribute to the reduction of GHG emissions in the livestock sector in view of the COP 26 climate conference moving to a zero-net economy.

The episode kicked off with the topic of what role does feed ingredients play when it comes to helping the livestock and agriculture sector reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Deschandelliers explained that because of innovation in feed ingredients, the Life Cycle Assessment can positively support the reduction of the environmental footprint in agriculture and the livestock sector. She also goes on to discuss a research project jointly led by FEFANA and IFIF that has demonstrated the use of some special feed ingredients can lead to a significant reduction of emissions related to the impact of the environment including greenhouse gas emissions.  When discussing the role of special feed ingredients in some specific examples, Deschandelliers summarised that special feed ingredients can help reduce livestock-related emissions in a very tailored approach adapted to individual animal species.

The episode was continued by Anton van den Brink asking if there is adequate attention for the potential of what special feed ingredients can deliver to make an impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions or if there is still a need for more understanding. Deschandelliers replied, “The beneficial role of special feed ingredients has been recognised by the European Institutions and International projects, just look at the FAO LEAP initiative”. She also emphasized how the European Commission has gone further recently by emphasizing the need for facilitating the placing of the market of such innovative products. She continued “Nevertheless there are still some aspects which need to be given greater emphasis”.

The session finished up by discussing if the legal framework in the EU is favourable to the emergence of innovative feed additives to minimize greenhouse gas emissions. Deschandelliers explained, “To really release the innovative potential of the industry, we need an enabling framework for innovation that provides protection for investment which encourages fair competitions in the marketplace and speeds up market access”.

Anton van den Brink wrapped up the session referring back to the FEFAC-AFIA joint webinar Feed industry contributions to help animal production reach zero-net GHG emission targets. Register for the event here.