Pig producers could turn fallen stock into improved returns

A comprehensive report looking at the challenges posed by fallen stock to the British pig industry and other livestock sectors has highlighted opportunities to turn this so-called “waste” into improved returns for producers. Written by British Pig Executive chairman Stewart Houston under the auspices of the Royal Agricultural College 100 Club’s annual Fellowship scheme and sponsored by PIC and the National Fallen Stock Company, the report says the UK livestock industry could earn up to £40 million by adding value to fallen stock and animal by-products by improving management systems and the quality of the waste.

A comprehensive report looking at the challenges posed by fallen stock to the British pig industry and other livestock sectors has highlighted opportunities to turn this so-called “waste” into improved returns for producers.

Written by British Pig Executive chairman Stewart Houston under the auspices of the Royal Agricultural College 100 Club’s annual Fellowship scheme and sponsored by PIC and the National Fallen Stock Company, the report says the UK livestock industry could earn up to £40 million by adding value to fallen stock and animal by-products by improving management systems and the quality of the waste. Houston said coordinated action could help turn this waste into an asset that could help improve returns for the entire supply chain. In his report, he said that this is already being done abroad, where Danish pig producers are using on-farm chillers for storing fallen stock to help preserve raw material freshness and, therefore, yield, perhaps as “fifth quarter” products for countries where they are popular. In the U.S., the Fats and Protein Research Foundation is working on finding uses for animal by-products as feed ingredients and biofuels.

“The objective to extract value from fallen stock and animal by-products where they are inevitable runs from the farm through collection, processing and into product quality and design," said Houston. There, his recommendations include the setting up of a joint working party involving the whole livestock industry to establish steps to be taken by individual sectors, by species supply chains and by overall collaborative activity — and then draw up an action plan to explore and implement action to extract all possible value from fallen stock.

Printed copies of the report are available from the Royal Agricultural College, or a copy of the report is available online.

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