April 17, 2014

Growth of dairy production drives feed consumption in New Zealand

Based on figures supplied by the New Zealand Feed Manufacturers Association (NZFMA) member companies nationwide, the annual statistics reported a notable increase in feed consumption from the dairy sector.

At 41%, the poultry industry remains the largest user. However, the 2013 figures showed a considerable growth in dairy use, which was 17.3% and the second largest user.

Compared to the consumption of 5.5% in dairy industry in 2002, the figure represents a 215% surge. By contrast, pig consumption declined slightly from 2012 to 15%, while layer use stood at 13.4%.

In 2013, the country's compound feed production increased by 2.8% to 991,027 tonnes and raw material usage rose by 4.1% to 983,440 tonnes.

The four main grains used were wheat (58.8%), barley (17.4%), sorghum (12.2%) and corn (10.3%).

The majority of compound feed was produced in the North Island, accounting for 65.3% of the total. In terms of form, 86% of compound feed is produced in bulk and 14% is bagged.