DSM Animal Nutrition and Health is spearheading an initiative to reinforce sustainable animal protein production. Slashing the environmental costs of farming is a cornerstone of this comprehensive project, which also targets improving the lifetime performance of farm animals, cutting methane emissions, reducing reliance on marine resources and mitigating antimicrobial resistance in livestock. Supplying enough animal protein for a growing population while reducing expenditures requires smart science, notes DSM. The company aims to “ignite” this transformation through the “We Make it Possible” ambition.

“This initiative is guided by our research, industry experts and scientific evidence and reflects our commitment, not only to be part of the value chain, but to be a change agent. This involves steering the global conversations, connecting the various stakeholders of the farming ecosystem, thinking ahead and generating ideas and new ways of working,” David Nickell, VP of Sustainability & Business Solutions at DSM Animal Nutrition and Health, tells FoodIngredientsFirst. 

Over time, the need for ever-increasing quantities of animal protein, which is already placing tremendous pressure on the planet’s finite natural resources, will lead to significant environmental strain, and take food systems well beyond the planet’s boundaries.

Without proper nutrition, welfare and health management, livestock production efficiency can decrease by as much as 33 percent, the company flags.

Ivo Lansbergen, Animal Nutrition and Health President at DSM, adds: “For too long, sustainability has been someone else’s problem, a problem for tomorrow. However, it is not an impossible challenge. We believe we can make animal farming sustainable. Our need is to be providing a decent living for farmers and affordable proteins to the world population, all while reducing the footprint of animal farming.”

Improving the lifetime performance of animals
Optimizing the health of livestock is essential for improving animal performance and overall production efficiency, which thereby drives more sustainable animal production, DSM notes.

“Health issues reduce the performance of an animal over its lifetime. Without proper nutrition, welfare and health management, livestock production efficiency can decrease by as much as 33 percent. We design species-specific, smart nutritional plans that improve animal health, welfare and overall performance across the lifetime of the animal,” says Nickell.

For example, in cows, DSM’s nutritional solutions help optimize skeletal development and health, nutrient utilization and fertility, while combating ketosis, mastitis and lameness. 

Reducing emissions from livestock
DSM flags that animal farming accounts for 14.5 percent of all human-derived greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This figure needs to be rapidly reduced to help limit the rise in global temperatures to 1.5ºC by 2050. To this end, DSM highlights that feed enzymes are an established and evolving technology that offer “tangible, measurable means” to achieve these objectives.   

“We have developed novel technology that significantly reduces methane emissions from cows – a major source of GHG emissions in animal production,” details Nickell. “Improving feed digestibility and reducing feed conversion ratio is one of the major levers of sustainable animal production. In addition to lessening the strain on land use, this approach reduces the indirect GHG emissions associated with animal production (emissions associated with the crops grown for feed production).”

In July, DSM filed for the EU authorization of its feed additive, which reduces dairy cows’ methane emissions by 30 percent. The company states that just a quarter teaspoon of the additive per cow each day will significantly reduce the environmental impact of dairy products. 

“Feed enzymes improve feed ingredient digestibility,” explains Nickell. “They substantially reduce the amount of feed needed to meet the world’s growing demand for animal protein. They also enable the greater use of alternative, local feed ingredients and by-products, thereby reducing our reliance on soy and other major crops.”

Tackling antimicrobial resistance
Responsible use of antibiotics is pivotal to driving transformational change. “We’re focusing our expertise and passion on developing novel nutritional solutions, which increase the resilience of animals to stress and pathogens, thereby limiting antibiotic use. Essentially, we need to replac antibiotic growth promoters and switch to antibiotic-free diets,” Nickell asserts.

“Innovative feed additives such as eubiotics and enzymes, along with optimum vitamin nutrition, are proven nutritional solutions that improve gut health, robustness and growth of farm animals, helping to eliminate the need for antimicrobial growth promoters (AGPs) and help lessen the need for antibiotic treatments.”

Reducing the reliance on marine resources
DSM is helping reduce the aquaculture industry’s reliance on marine resources through its Veramaris technology and nutritional solutions that allow alternative raw material use in aquaculture diets. Together with Evonik, DSM has developed a technology that provides essential omega 3 fatty acids EPA and DHA for animal nutrition, produced on an industrial scale from natural marine algae. 

“We’re cultivating marine algae that naturally produce omega 3 EPA and DHA, so we can help reduce the reliance on wild fish stocks and enable the aquaculture industry to grow,” comments Nickell.

Improving food quality while reducing food loss and waste
Approximately one-third of food derived from animal protein production is currently lost or wasted, flags DSM. Action at every stage of the food supply chain is required to tackle this issue. 

“We are transforming the way we feed our animals in order to improve the quality of meat, milk, fish and eggs, thereby reducing loss and waste through the value chain. By focusing on Optimum Vitamin Nutrition (OVN) we can help reduce food loss and waste in animal protein value chains. By ensuring animals are fed optimum vitamin levels, we can help address some of the common issues of loss and waste in animal production.”

To accomplish OVN in its vitamin supplements, DSM has engaged in R&D activities through partnerships with universities, genetics companies and independent research institutes. “We apply our unique understanding of vitamin D to layer nutrition to help hens lay robust and nutritious eggs, leading to significantly less egg breakages and subsequent food loss,” says Nickell.

“Vitamin E is one of natures most powerful antioxidants and is essential for maintaining the integrity of muscle cells. Feeding optimal levels of vitamin E during the growing phase of animal production ensures that sufficient vitamin E is deposited in the muscle cell membranes, thereby improving the quality of the meat which leads to a long shelf life and less food loss and waste.”

At this year’s 50th World Economic Forum Annual Meeting held in Davos, Switzerland, food waste was at the center of roundtable discussions on how to sustainably feed future populations. In recent moves, the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) launched a CEO-led Coalition of Action on Food Waste, which sees 14 of the world’s largest retailers and manufacturers join forces.