December 5, 2008
UK posts on-year increased use of wheat, barley in animal feed
The use of wheat and barley in the retail production of animal feed has increased due to their prices becoming more competitive with other alternatives such as corn, according to statistics released by the UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) on Thursday (December 4).
Wheat usage in animal feed has increased by 6 percent in the year 0ctober 2007-October 2008, while barley usage has increased by 8.6 percent.
A particularly wet harvest in the UK led to lower quality crops this year, putting downward pressure on prices and increasing the availability of feed wheat in particular.
Corn, oats and oilseeds were all displaced by the increased use of wheat and barley, according to Defra's figures.
