Animal biofeed industry breaks new ground

In Longzhou county, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, farmers are busy harvesting sugar cane. The leaves, which used to be waste, will be processed and turned into cattle feed at local factories.

"In the past, sugar cane leaves and corn stalks were either dumped or burned. Now, they can be used as feed," said farmer Ruan Zhenhong, who added that he has profited from the effort. "Last year, I earned 26,000 yuan ($3,728) from selling stalks."

A new method for the industrial use of rice straw has also recently been developed in Changde, Hunan province, where people are recycling and processing rice straw, turning it into silage.

"Rice straw cannot be burned. Rotting straw left in the fields is an ecological burden that can affect cultivation and lead to plant diseases and pests," said Luo Yuanfeng, an official at Changde's bureau of agriculture and rural affairs.

The national feed industry is undergoing rapid development, transformation and upgrades. Promoting biological feed technology is a logical direction and a strategic measure to ensure the high-quality development of the feed industry, according to Xin Guochang, an official at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

Biological feed is the general term for new feed and feed additives that are safe, efficient, environmentally friendly and residue-free, and developed by means of modern biotechnology such as genetic, protein or enzyme engineering or fermentation, according to a report on China's biological feed industry.

It makes use of a wide range of materials. It is renewable and less expensive than other feed, and it is helpful in developing unconventional resources, thus reducing breeding costs. It is also conducive to curbing waste and easing competition between people and animals for food.

Biological feed can also lessen the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus in livestock and poultry manure, greatly reducing pollution and promoting the healthy and sustainable development of the animal feed industry.

In recent years, fermentation has achieved good results in improving feed quality and feed use efficiency, and in promoting animal health. Ecological pig feed is a good example. "Bio-fermented feed is a kind of bioactive feed containing probiotics and metabolites. Microbial fermentation can improve the digestibility of feed by changing the physicochemical properties of feed substrate," said Wang Yizhen, a professor at Zhejiang University.

He added that bio-fermented feed can also improve the intestinal functions and bodily immunity of pigs through the effect of probiotics, helping ensure pig health and high-quality production.

China attaches great importance to the development of its biological feed industry. It currently has around 1,000 companies engaged in bio-fermented feed production.

The country has taken measures to promote the standardization of the industry's management system and technical standards.