FAO Global Forum for Animal Feed and Feed Regulators Opening Remarks

FAO Global Forum for Animal Feed and Feed Regulators

 

Opening Remarks

By

Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General

 

14 November 2023

 

Excellences,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

To achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs, we need to transform our agrifood systems to be more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient, and more sustainable, to the benefit of people and the planet.

 

Efforts to transform global agrifood systems cut across multiple sectors including production of crops, animals and aquaculture, nature resources management, environment-friendly practices, and open international trade, among many others, and as part of this wider change, the livestock sector must also transform.

 

For this reason, in late September 2023 FAO organized the first ever Global Conference on Sustainable Livestock Transformation, with the objective of highlighting the need to make the sector more responsive to a growing global demand for animal source foods and other animal products, while contributing positively to livelihoods and the environment.

 

One of the pathways for the transformation of the livestock sector is the development of sustainable, resilient, and safe value chains, including for animal feed, genetics, food safety, processing, and market access, among others.

 

This Forum will address a critical aspect of this transformation: the availability, accessibility, quality, and safety of animal feed. From the management and restoration of grasslands and pastures to the production of fodder and feed ingredients, and the processing and use of compound feed.

 

We already know many of the solutions.

 

Approximately 40 percent of global arable land is used to feed livestock, which provides us with the opportunity to improve the sustainability of agrifood systems by optimizing land use.

 

In addition, as feed represents 60-80 percent of livestock production costs, there are important opportunities to improve cost efficiency by acting on feeding systems.

 

By adopting science-based approaches to feed production, formulation, and fortification, we can contribute to better animal and human nutrition, health, and food safety.

 

These developments cannot happen without appropriate policies and regulations, aAnd we need to provide small- and medium-scale farmers – who make up most livestock producers worldwide – with access to knowledge, technology, and markets, to improve their livelihoods, contribute to poverty reduction, and accelerate rural development.

 

Many of these solutions are set out in the FAO Livestock Transformation Initiative and are key to FAO’s work to transform the feed sector through normative and field work.

 

FAO has also produced a manual of Good Practices for the Feed Sector, together with the International Feed Industry Federation, which is an important training tool.

 

Furthermore, the joint FAO/WHO Report on Hazards associated with animal feed serves as a basis for related recommendations in the Codex Alimentarius.

 

FAO has provided support to African countries to assess their feed resources, and these assessments have led to the development of the East Africa Livestock Feed and Feeding Strategy for the next 15 years.

 

In 2022 alone, FAO procured USD 53 million of animal feed to support small scale livestock producers in overcoming shortages in feed supply.

 

This Forum is an important, professional platform to strengthen collaboration among experts, national and regional regulators, producers, and industry representatives.

 

I encourage you to use this platform to improve the security, safety, and environmental sustainability of feed production, leading to concrete actions to shape the future of animal feed production and regulation globally.

 

Through our collective efforts, we can build a future where animal feed, forage and fodder production, and the sustainable management and restoration of grasslands and pastures, serve as a catalyst for sustainable livestock transformation.

 

Contributing to better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.

 

Remember feed security and safety for animals will further ensure food security and safety for human beings.

 

Feeding animals well, will feed the world better!

 

Thank you.