Feed company to go local with soy supplies

DANISH feed company Aller Aqua is to phase out the use of South American soya and focus on purchasing from regional markets closer to its factories.

The company’s four European factories will buy only locally produced soya, said Aller Aqua today, adding that its aim is to have a minimal environmental impact.

‘In recent years, there has been a lot of focus on soya produced in South America, and the derived effects thereof, such as deforestation and cultivation methods,’ said Henrik Halken, group vice president of Aller Aqua Group.

‘In our work to continuously increase sustainability and purchasing raw materials in proximity to our European factories, we will now phase out the use of soya from South America.

‘Our four European factories have already begun this process. In 2019, 50 per cent of the soya we used in our European factories was regionally produced, and during 2020, this number will reach 100 per cent.

‘This is completely in line with EU initiatives supporting an increased production of protein crops to increase our self-sufficiency – and thereby reduce import.’

He added: ‘To ensure the largest possible positive impact on our environmental footprint, we continuously look at our raw material portfolio.

‘During recent years, we have increasingly utilised various by-products which, besides reducing waste, maintain the feed quality.

‘We also pride ourselves in having a specialised protein factory in Germany, which produces high value proteins based on local raw materials.’

Aquaculture has one of the lowest CO2 emissions compared to other animal productions, said Halken.

Aller Aqua has factories in Denmark, Poland, Germany, Serbia, China, Egypt and Zambia and Serbia, and exports products to more than 60 countries.