Bye-bye by-products

A new matchmaking service that connects primary producers with local organisations looking to produce animal feed from farming by-products is on its way.

New Zealand's Bioresource Processing Alliance will soon allow growers to list by-products such as seeds, stalks, and low-grade produce as ingredients for existing or new food formulations.

It’s estimated that more than 200,000 tonnes of food production by-products could be redirected away from landfill or low-value uses like compost using the database if rolled out nationally.

With circularity being a huge global movement, as well as the need to reduce our dependence on imported feeds, utilising our own by-products could be one solution.

Could NZ become self-sufficient for animal feed? Do we need a food security plan for our livestock as well as for people?