World's top 100 feed producers in 2017

The latest edition of WATT Global Media’s World’s Top Feed Companies listing reports 100 companies with more than 1 million metric tons of compound feed production in 2017.

Stephane106 | BigStockPhoto.com
Stephane106 | BigStockPhoto.com

One hundred global animal feed manufacturers met or exceeded 1 million metric tons of compound feed production in 2017, according to WATTAgNet.com’s Top Feed Companies database. The market intelligence used to create this, the 2018 Top Feed Companies report, and its 2017 company ranking table is derived from exclusive feed industry data compiled by WATT Global Media’s research team over the past 12 months.

To capture the most accurate information, Feed Strategy’s annual Top Feed Companies analysis focuses on the previous calendar year’s compound feed volumes.

The 2018 Top Feed Companies report highlights the growth and evolution of animal protein production worldwide and ultimately identifies the major players shaping the global animal feed industry.

2017 Top Feed Companies Tonnage By Region

The 100 Top Feed Companies account for more than 386 million metric tons of production or 42 percent of 2017's world total. 

Leaders in feed production

The leading 100 feed producers of 2017 manufactured more than 386.8 million metric tons of compound feed. As a percentage of last year’s total world compound feed production of 910 million metric tons (Feed Strategy’s World Feed Panorama, June 2018), 2017’s Top 100 feed companies produced 42 percent of total global volume.

Comparing 2017 volumes against 2016, overall feed production rose by nearly 4 percent among the Top Feed Companies.

From a regional perspective, many of the firms featured in this year’s listing are headquartered in Asia (46) and in Europe (28). Ten are found in North America; seven in South America; five in Africa; three in the Middle East; and one is located in Australia.

2017 Top Feed Companies By Region

The majority of the compound feed manufacturers reaching or exceeding volumes of 1 million metric tons are in Asia and Europe.

Notable ranking shifts

Here it should be noted that some ranking changes are attributed to the discovery of new or updated data; however, others are influenced by market conditions, acquisitions or circumstances unique to the company. Keeping that in mind, here are several 2017 Top Feed Companies ranking highlights:

Muyuan Foods' move to the No. 7 position is the most notable alteration to the Top Feed Companies listing. The updated volume estimate of China’s second largest pig producer is linked to an uptick in the company’s acquisitions, investments and overall expansion of Chinese swine production.

De Heus continues its growth trajectory through global acquisitions and facility investments. The Dutch company expanded its 2017 animal feed production by nearly 18 percent to assume the No. 13 slot.

Danish Agro grew its feed volumes by 17 percent in 2017, moving it from No. 52 to No. 45. Miratorg, a privately held Russian agribusiness giant, jumped to No. 69, a 13 percent increase from 2016’s estimate.   

Russia’s Cherkizovo Group has made its Top Feed Companies debut. The company moved from last year’s “Companies to Watch” list to No. 67 in 2017, citing double-digit percentage gains.

Brazil’s JBS S.A. has not rebounded from a series of scandals, remaining flat in 2017 after losing nearly a quarter of feed production in 2016.

Down in 2017, Ukrainian poultry integrator Myronivsky Hliboproduct (MHP) slid from the No. 53 position to No. 60 – a 16 percent decrease – upon reports of reduced poultry sales last year.

Also on the radar, six companies nearly hit the 1 million metric ton mark, charting volumes upward of 900,000 metric tons of compound feed production in 2017.

Feed Companies To Watch

With volumes of more than 900,000 metric tons of production, six companies almost ranked on this year’s 1 million-plus master list.

Acquisitions account for ‘missing’ players

Mergers and acquisitions constantly reshape the agribusiness landscape and, consequently, the annual Top Feed Companies listing as well. Last year, WATT Global Media’s research team standardized the way parent companies and their subsidiaries are displayed in the Top Companies database. For example, animal health and nutrition supplier Alltech, which acquired Ridley Inc., Masterfeeds and Coppens in 2016, ranked No. 16 for the total volumes of its compound feed producing divisions.

Several 2017 acquisitions require mention because the parent companies absorbed the volumes of the companies they acquired:

  • Cargill closed on the feed assets of U.S.-based Southern States Cooperative (formerly No. 65) and its seven feed mills in September 2017.
  • Last summer, Dutch firm Nutreco expanded its North American presence through the acquisition of Hi-Pro Feeds (formerly No. 60). The purchase included its 15 feed mills.

To further examine the holdings of the parent companies identified in this year’s Top Feed Companies report, visit WATT Global Media’s Top Feed Companies database (see sidebar) to search historical data, milestones and additional company information.

Looking ahead

Mergers and acquisitions influenced 2017’s Top Feed Companies report; however, the trends shaping 2018’s volumes remain to be seen.

Editor's note: The World’s Top Feed Companies report was drawn from WATT Global Media’s Top Feed Companies database. The data was compiled by Hilary Niles. Please direct comments and questions to [email protected], or send them to [email protected].

 

To drill down deeper into the factors that shaped this listing, historical data and the company profiles of more than 200 feed producers worldwide, visit the WATTAgNet.com’s full Top Feed Companies database: www.WATTAgNet.com/directories/81.

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