In 2021, 5.415 million tonnes of wet feeds were delivered in the Netherlands. This is over 400 tonnes more than the sales volume of 2019 and 2020, when there was a dip in the supply of wet feed due to Corona and a dry summer.
Moisture-rich feedstuffs continue to find their way into livestock farming. They are traditionally valued and fit into a circular economy: Livestock farmers can use local products and protein sources for their feed. In addition, moisture-rich feed provides a return for both the producer and the buyer. Drying costs are saved during production, which makes it easier for food companies to achieve their CO2 targets. This way, both parties profit.
Main Products
Just like 2020, the main wet feeds were potato products, wheat yeast concentrates, press pulp, wheat starch, brewers' grains, corn gluten feed and whey cheese. Together, these products accounted for 90% of the sales of wet feed.
Pig Feed
The quantity of moisture-rich feedstuffs in the daily ration of Dutch pigs has increased by 5% to 2.9 million tonnes in 2021. The supply of wheat starch, wheat yeast concentrate and whey was higher than in 2020. Sales of potato products for pigs remained unchanged. The main products for pig farming remained wheat starch, potato steam peels, dairy products and wheat yeast concentrates.
Cattle Feed
In the cattle industry, 2.5 million tonnes of wet feed were sold. This is an increase of more than 12% compared to the previous year. This can be explained by a good potato and beet harvest in 2021 after the dry summer of 2020. In the cattle industry, the main products are press pulp, brewers grains, potato press fibres, wheat yeast concentrate and corn gluten feed.
Important Role
Wet feed plays an indispensable role in the feeding of Dutch pigs and cattle. This satisfies the OPNV, an association that promotes the sale of wet feed materials for the livestock industry and represents the interests of the producers and distributors involved. Every year, OPNV draws up an overview of the quantities of wet feed sold in the Netherlands. These products are produced in the Netherlands or within a limited distance of its borders.
The total amount of moisture-rich feedstuffs corresponds to almost 1.25 million tonnes of dry feedstuffs.
