Animal Nutrition Conference of Canada 2024

Aaron Hanson, GlobalData

On top of changing dietary patterns as the world grows richer, agricultural markets are being impacted by a new wave of biofuels mandates and targets aimed at mitigating climate change.  Although cereals are part of this, the main expected impact will be on demand for vegetable oils.  Due to regulations constraining the ability of palm to meet the new vegetable oil demand, the sector is likely to fall back on the oilseeds, especially soybeans.  The large volumes of protein meal generated as by-products of this oil demand will in turn alter feed ration practices in the livestock industry.
 
Keywords: Biofuels, animal feed, oilseeds.

Dr. Mike von Massow, University of Guelph

Recent years have seen significant changes in the food consumer landscape with supply chain disruptions, generational inflation, and significant new technologies among other things. This presentation will provide perspectives on the changes in consumer demand brought on by these factors and what they mean for animal agriculture. We continue to evaluate supply chain resilience and the implications for a consistent food supply. While trust in agricultural production is strong (particularly for producers), it is clear that the public does not have a detailed understanding of how their food is produced. This gap creates risk which provides an imperative for engagement. There has been some short-term adjustment in consumer preferences driven largely by higher prices, but these are not expected to be permanent. Technologies such as gene-editing and cellular agriculture also have the potential to disrupt the market. Despite all of these factors, animal agriculture will continue to be a key factor in providing protein requirements and food security in Canada and across the world.
 
Keywords: food, food prices, technology, protein, consumers.

Dr. Maurice Doyon, Université Laval

The presentation focuses on traditional animal protein and its substitutes, from a consumer point of view. After an overview of the motivations behind the choice of proteins, we will assess the situation before describing what I call the protein war. This conference addresses these trends in the perspective of initiating a reflection on the issue.

Keywords: Proteins, animal, plant, laboratory protein, molecular agriculture.

Dr. Emily Burton, Nottingham Trent University

Surviving sustainably on Earth is one of a set of challenges that transcend national boundaries and are the primary focus of the United Nations (UN). The UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) clearly exist to find balance between economic, social, and environmental needs, both now and in the future. Ensuring we operate within the planetary boundaries estimated necessary for human survival is creating opportunities to change the way we think and work but with this opportunity comes both risk and reward. Our challenge, and indeed our responsibility as nutritionists is to identify how to ensure animal nutrition brings sustainable development for all, both locally in Canada and globally. This requires us to rapidly change the way we think and work in order to capitalise on the emerging opportunities in both production and processing of feed and animal proteins.
 
Feed production sometimes takes a narrow approach to sustainability, with a strong focus on use of finite resources and the environmental impact of resulting manure. However, leading economic bodies (including the World Bank) increasingly recognise the reliance of economic and societal stability on environmental stability. It is therefore important that the feed sector begins to recognise the increasing global focus on the well-being of the environment and valuing it as natural capital.
The concept of responsible innovation, where industry and academia give society opportunity to scrutinise the assumptions, values and visions that drive science, has been evolving in the EU for some time. Responsible research frameworks offer nutritionists the foundation for a new responsible innovation ethos where regulators are increasingly willing to rapidly adapt their regulatory systems to prevent delaying innovation that is beneficial to society.

Keywords: UN SDGs, responsible innovation, sustainable food production.

Dr. Kim Ominski, University of Manitoba

Protein demand over the next 30-years is projected to increase to satisfy the needs of the growing global population. Improved production efficiency, including average daily gain and feed efficiency, is one avenue to do so. Despite advances in production efficiency via genetic selection, improved management systems, and use of productivity-enhancing technologies (PET’s), there has been a shift in demand toward “free-from” products (i.e., free from growth hormones or antibiotics) in domestic and global markets. However, consumers are largely unaware of the implications of eliminating PET’s from the production system on cost of production, retail price of beef, environmental sustainability and future food security. Using PET’s as an example, this presentation will examine the implications of consumer food choices on productivity, economic viability and environmental sustainability including greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions, as well as land and water use.  Further, as stakeholders in the livestock sector, we are eager to share our knowledge with consumers but capturing their attention is an ever-allusive challenge. Therefore, we will explore opportunities for engagement between industry stakeholders and consumers in Canada to ensure optimal use of natural resources, nutritional adequacy, improved human health, and the environmental sustainability of Canadian diets. However, as we support consumers in their quest to make informed choices regarding diet, we must be mindful that there is room in the marketplace for a variety of food production systems.
 
Keywords: beef cattle, productivity enhancing technologies, environmental sustainability

Melissa Dumont, Animal Nutrition Association of Canada

An outlook on how current and emerging government priorities may shape the future of the livestock feed industry. ANAC’s role in advocating for and supporting the development of practical and relevant regulations, policies and other legislative tools will also be discussed.