Abstract
The concept of circularity is currently proposed to address key sustainability issues affecting and affected by livestock production. Through a desk study, this paper evaluates some feed sources that are being developed in The Netherlands as an alternative to current feeds, namely food waste; seaweed; and localized production and alternative plant-based feed sources. These feed categories are evaluated according to four circularity criteria. The first two criteria concern standard circularity principles aimed at both stopping and preventing environmental damage as well as a focus on natural resources use efficiency: (1) safeguard the health of ecosystems and (2) avoid the production of unnecessary products and use/recycle biomass effectively, as well as evaluating possible food–feed competition. In addition, two ‘people’ and ‘animal’ centred principles have been integrated: (3) fairness and accessibility and (4) animal health and wellbeing. The article concludes that people and animal centred principles are key to thinking of, developing, implementing, and evaluating circularity initiatives. Moreover, the article suggests that categories such as the local production of soya (approx. 132 ha) or seaweed (approx. 10–15 ha) are as yet irrelevant regarding production volumes within the Dutch context. However, some feed sources such as seaweed, insects, livestock leftovers produced at farms and abattoirs, and food waste might strengthen the transition towards more circular and sustainable practices.
Highlights
Livestock is a pivotal element of agro-ecosystems and circularity
In the last section we summarize the results of the evaluation and reflect on the role played by these new feed practices within the circularity transition
To gain a better understanding of the role that they play in the circularity transition, we evaluate these feed categories according to a set of criteria which are based on central principles and aspects of circularity
Summary
Livestock is a pivotal element of agro-ecosystems and circularity. In a context in which around 690 million people are still hungry and in which 2 billion people “don’t have regular access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food” Key elaborations of the concept of circularity were reviewed, placing particular attention into its articulation within the agricultural and livestock domains In this way, a new set of specific criteria was elaborated to evaluate a number of feed categories. The. Key elaborations of the concept of circularity werecircularity reviewed, criteria placing was particular attention evaluation of feed categories through the proposed conducted on into its of articulation within the agricultural and livestock domains. The Dutch Association for Animal Feed Industry (Nevedi) estimates that, in The Netherlands for 2019, the direct on-farm delivered compound feed by its costumers (estimated to be approximately 95% of total deliveries) was 11.9 million tons [16].
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