The emissions from the livestock industry include 4.4 million tonnes of intestinal methane fermentation and 4.9 million tonnes of nitrogen oxide in livestock manure.

The foundation of the revision of the feed regulations lies in South Korea’s declaration of becoming a carbon-neutral country by 2050, so the country will reduce 710 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, down by almost one-quarter compared to 2017. By 2024, the crude protein content of poultry and ruminant feed will also be changed. Since 2021, crude protein in every stage of pig breeding in South Korea is classified and been reduced by about 1-3 per cent. Some countries have already made decisions on cutting crude protein content in animal feed. Reducing the minimum crude protein limit in animal and aqua feeds would result in significant cost savings for the whole industry, reducing contamination, and improving animal health,” Cany explained. “Recent research in the evaluation of feed effectiveness shows that digestible protein and amino acid composition of protein are more important than crude protein content.

It is becoming more urgent as the costs of raw materials for animal feed production is soaring to new highs. Regulations on animal feed ingredients have been a concern of livestock enterprises – mostly foreign-invested enterprises – for a long time. “Current feed registrations depend on a minimum crude protein level in the diet, which does not fully represent the actual quality of the feed,” said Alain Cany, chairman of EuroCham.

At last week’s Vietnam Business Forum in Hanoi, members of the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) proposed changes in the regulatory framework for the regulation of new and innovative raw materials for feed production and to improve sustainability.

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