New feed standards reduce need for soybeans

Total demand for soybeans, a major agricultural import, is expected to drop by 14 million metric tons in China's farm animal industry, with the adoption of new standards featuring reduced protein content in animal feeds.

The two recommended standards, released by China Feed Industry Association on Friday, are aimed at easing China's reliance on imports for protein-intensive animal feed and promoting more environmentally friendly development of its animal husbandry industry.

Compared with existing national standards, the new ones decrease the lower limit of protein content for pigs and chickens, the most widely consumed meats in China. They also prescribe an upper limit.

They will effectively reduce the use of protein-intensive feed, such as soybean meal－the remnants after oil extraction－in Chinese agriculture, the association said.

It estimates the new standards will reduce consumption of protein for a kilogram of pork by 13 percent, to 0.39 kilograms, while consumption of protein for chickens will be reduced by about 1 percent.

With technological developments in feed, the reduced protein content, supplemented with amino acids, will not affect the yield and quality of meat, the association said.

Li Jingqian, an association official involved with the formulation of standards, said the new bench marks will be carried out starting on Thursday.

The association solicited opinions from major feed companies in China, and 29 pledged to adopt the standards, he said.

Qiao Shiyan, a professor of animal nutrition at China Agricultural University, said using less soybean meal will not affect pig production because of the addition of artificial amino acids, since protein breaks down into amino acids when digested.

"The measure will greatly reduce the use of soybean meal, and many enterprises in the poultry and husbandry industries have shown interest in feed with lower protein content this year," he said.

With rising prices of imported soybeans because of trade frictions between China and the United States, lower protein content feed that requires fewer soybeans has great potential, he said.

Soybeans are a major agricultural import in China. Last year, China imported more than 95 million tons of soybeans, according to the General Administration of Customs. Most of the imported soybeans are used for oil extraction with the rest used as animal feed, Qiao said.

China is the world's biggest producer of meat but it relies on imports to meet nearly 80 percent of its demand for protein-intensive feed, mostly soybeans, according to the China Feed Industry Association.

Promoting lower-protein feed can also reduce environmental pollution caused by animal waste, it said.