With rising feed prices and sustainability being the watchword, it's time to think about ways to conserve resources, especially feed. As the largest cost item on livestock farms (60%), feed is a good way to make farms more self-sufficient and/or to reduce costs. By-products from the agri-food industry that can be used in animal feed seem to be a promising way to feed ruminants at a regional level, especially as such a sector is likely to be part of a circular economy approach. By-products from plant production, especially fruit and vegetables, have a particularly high potential for use in animal rations. Many other types of residues from processing industries could also be used, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.
