One of the goals of CIRCLE is to contribute with more knowledge about how biological resources from one sector can be used in another sector. Preferably we are talking about by-products in a value chain. One example of this is the development of new feed ingredients for livestock in agriculture and for aquaculture.
Ruralis is leading a project on sustainable Norwegian feed production, SusFeed. The project studies new feed ingredients and will analyse how sustainable a new feed can be. If new feed ingredients are to be used, they should be more sustainable than the traditional one.
An important starting point is that both environmental, economic, and social sustainability must be improved. In addition, there is an ambition to become more self-sufficient nationally with feed for important food production in agriculture and aquaculture. This means that one wants to see if it is possible to replace imports, especially of protein, with protein produced closer to the feed consuming salmon or chicken in Norway
One of the aspects to be studied in SusFeed is whether protein can be separated as a feed ingredient from grass fibres and thus used for salmon, chicken, or pigs. Furthermore, one should look at whether wood fibre can be broken down by insects which can then become a protein-rich ingredient in feed. Other cases to study are macro- and microalgae.
Today, there are separate value chains for feed for salmon and for livestock in agriculture, respectively. The cases to be studied in SusFeed run across these two sectors, and also include forest as a third sector. This provides new opportunities. At the same time, there are major challenges associated with such intersecting relationships. There are several policy areas and various market actors involved.
SusFeed have recently been presented at seminars for other related projects. These days, both the project Biocycles and BGINN have received a brief introduction to SusFeed. Both projects are about developing circularity in feed, especially with emphasis on protein production.
