October 27, 2010
UK Soil Association contemplates more sustainable feed
A debate is urgently needed on how farmers can move from feeding animals grains and imported proteins towards more sustainable alternatives, said the UK Soil Association.
The aims of its latest report, "Feeding the animals that feed us", is to kick-start a discussion about the necessary improvements it feels are necessary for the way livestock in the UK is fed.
The organic body believes that farm animals can play an important role in tackling environmental challenges by helping to store carbon in grassland soils, recycling waste food, providing nutrients to grow crops and giving humans healthy food to eat.
It added that more grains and imported proteins, such as soy, are a highly inefficient use of resources and that the dependence on grain and soy imported from across the globe makes the UK's food system much less resilient.
Instead, a system of increased grazing and use of home-grown feed is proposed.
"Organic farmers have a head-start in meeting the feed challenge. They are less reliant on grain, do not use soy from recently converted forest or grassland, and use more grass and silage to feed animals," said a Soil Association spokesperson. "But there are still improvements that can be made to organic production in the UK, with the intention of producing further environmental and animal welfare-friendly outcomes."