There was massive interest in our story about the potential for the planned new soy processing facilities in the US to come on stream.
Gordon Denny, US soy industry consultant, believes US soy crush capacity will continue to increase; it just won’t be as large as originally anticipated due to a variety of factors from US EPA proposals, the increasing volumes of other oils and fats being used as feedstocks for renewable diesel, the higher costs of steel, concrete and labor in terms of building plants, and multiple other factors.
“Expansion is ongoing. We are still seeing the most significant growth we've ever seen in the industry. But instead of a 30 to 32% increase over the next three years, I think it will be more in the region of a 25% gain in crush capacity. Some plant builds are likely to be put on hold, others might see their construction delayed.”
The perception, said Denny, is that, for some players, the expansion in the sector is “too much, too fast” and too dependent on the fickleness of politics. “I mean it all comes down to subsidies, mandates, tax credits and tariff protection.”
Photo credit: GettyImages/JTSorrell
A piece on an international meeting of agricultural ministers looking at ways to achieve low-emissions farming caught readers' attention.
The conference in Chile was taking place within the framework of the commitment made by more than 100 countries at the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP 26) to reduce global methane emissions by 30% by 2030 – the Global Methane Pledge.
“It is positive to see ministers engage on the issue," said the nstitute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP).
Photo credit: GettyImages/Abstract Aerial Art
Our third most popular article in the past few weeks was one exploring what exactly should be in fish farmers' toolboxes to enable them to effectively manage disease in their production environment.
Some of those tools include vaccines and specialist breeding programs, said the experts we spoke to. Other elements within an intergrated health management system for aquaculture production include biosecurity, stress reduction strategies, functional feed and the raft of cameras, sensors, big data, and montioring tools that are emerging.
Photo credit: GettyImages/Richard Johnson
Methane emissions reduction was again the subject of the story that comes in fourth in the rankings.
Nevada, US-based company, CH4 Global, claims it has found a novel way to drive down the costs of growing and processing the reported methane emissions blocker - the red seaweed known as Asparagopsis - while preserving the bioactivity of the final product.
“In October last year, we filed patents related to the expensive parts of production: the growing out of the seaweed at large scale and the processing of it. We have found ways to decrease the costs of those parts of the process tenfold.
“And what that means for our overall end to end production and our final product costs is that they will be significantly lower than the costs anyone else in this competitive space is facing today or is likely to face in the near future,” Steve Meller, CEO and founder of CH4 Global, told us.
Photo Credit: GettyImages/KOLOstock
A piece focused on Nestlé and its Net-Zero pledges sparked interest. It was the fith most read story of the past month.
The report, Net-Zero Integrity: Nestlé’s methane blind spot, released by Changing Markets Foundation and Mighty Earth, claims that the food giant is failing to meet UN Net-Zero standards and is not prioritising scientifically robust emissions reduction measures.
Nestlé must bring its Net-Zero plan in line with UN recommendations by COP28 at the latest and set a specific methane target of at least 30% by 2030 in line with the Global Methane Pledge, say the campaigners.
Given the size of its dairy portfolio, the campaigners said a disproportionate amount of Nestlé’s emissions are methane stemming from the cattle in its supply chains.
In response, a Nestlé spokesperson told FeedNavigator: “We stand by our climate roadmap; we are focused on reducing our emissions to meet our Net-Zero target, which we are on track to do. Peak carbon is behind us, and we have reduced our emissions to a level now below our 2018 baseline. We will continue to invest in R&D, in our sustainability initiatives, and in projects that encourage the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices across our supply chain.
“We are currently exploring solutions related to feed additives and the diet and digestion of the animal. We are looking at their efficacy and safety, including reduction of methane emissions.”
Photo credit: GettyImages/KlausVedfelt
