Peter BestPeter Best is a consulting editor for Pig International and can be reached at [email protected].From the Author - Page 2Animal Feed ManufacturingLower feed output by big EU playersThe European Union grew larger in 2013 when Croatia became its 28th member. On preliminary estimates from the European Feed Manufacturers' Federation (FEFAC), the newly enlarged EU-28 produced a total of 153.8 million metric tons of compound feeds in 2013, fractionally less than the 154.2 million metric tons from the same 28 member states in 2012.Business & MarketsChina experiences the ‘toughest years’ on recordChina Feed Industry Association data have shown compound feeds accounting for almost 162 million metric tons of the total of 191 million metric tons of all feeds produced by Chinese feed mills in 2013. On association figures, this meant a 1.2 percent reduction in China's compound feed production, while total feed tonnage was down by 1.8 percent.Business & MarketsPositive forecasts for Latin American poultry, porkAvian influenza hit Mexico's poultry industry again in 2013, and there were fears initially of a big downturn in the national production of meat and eggs so that feed requirements would also be lower. But national chicken and egg production actually rose for 2013 despite the episodes of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H7N3 between January and August, on data from Mexican poultry union UNA.Business & MarketsGlobal grain trade continues to expand, evolveThe International Grains Council’s (IGC) 2013 Grains Conference, a gathering of the largest trading organizations in the world, provided an opportunity to gain expert views on the global market outlook for feed’s primary ingredients. This article highlights of recent developments in the global grain trade.AquacultureEgypt leads African surge in fish feedsOpportunity in Egypt's aquaculture industry is driving the rapid expansion of the capacity of its extruded fish feed production. Recently, two major European players have significantly increase their Egyptian aquafeed investments, while at least two poultry-feed companies with headquarters in Egypt are described as being well ahead with plans to start their own fish feed production.Business & MarketsWorld Feed Panorama: A year of resilience for the feed industryWorld feed production was remarkably resilient in 2012 despite facing extremely challenging conditions. Many early expectations had been that the total global tonnage of industrially produced compound feeds would show a significant reduction in 2012 under the pressure of high raw-material costs and weak farm market prices.Feed Mill ManagementWorld Feed Panorama: Once again, industry increases its volumeOur latest World Feed Panorama survey points to a 1.3 percent annual growth in the production of compound feeds by commercial mills worldwide in 2011. Nonetheless, it suggests a remarkably consistent rate of expansion for the feed industry in recent times, following reported increases of about 1 percent in 2009 and almost 1.5 percent in 2010.PoultryPoultry performance improves over past decadesBird performance in the commercial poultry industry has shown a staggering improvement over recent decades. Modern broilers weigh about 2.5 kg at 39 days, with a live-weight feed conversion ratio of 1.6 kg of feed per kilogram of body weight gain.HomeInput costs affect poultry feed productionEstimates compiled by our associated publication Feed International suggest that world compound feed production for all species by industrial feed mills in 2010 increased by about 1.4%, to a new record of approximately 718 million metric tons with a combined market value of about $240 billion. Further growth in 2011 has been constrained primarily by high feed grain prices globally, although Asian countries have continued to deliver extra volumes to meet local requirements.Feed Mill ManagementAnimal feed manufacturers build bigger presenceLooking back at news headlines involving the world’s largest animal feed manufacturers over the past 12 months, it has been a time of further consolidation, acquisition and expansion, together with significant investments in new facilities. These events have brought some changes in our annual list of big players by compounds production volume - not least, signaling renewed competition to be rated at the top for global size.Animal Feed Regulations & SafetyVictam International highlights innovation in animal feed manufacturingRepresentatives of the feed and grain sectors from more than 100 companies were in Germany in early May to take part in the 2011 edition of the specialist trade show Victam International, that deals exclusively with grain processing and the manufacture of animal feeds. With European-style mega-booths for the big feed equipment players, the show also included demonstrations of some major machinery.Animal Feed ManufacturingPiglet nutrition: New targets for amino acidsFeeding the young pig both adequately and economically has never been an easy task, but the manufacturer of piglet diets is now being asked to take further factors into considerationPrevious PagePage 2 of 3Next Page