Building safe, sustainable, & equitable animal feed systems | FAO News

Rome – The Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today convened policymakers, scientists, producers, civil society, & private sector representatives to explore strategies for ensuring animal feed is safe, nutritious, & sustainably produced.

Director-General QU Dongyu officially opened the 2025 edition of the Global Forum for Animal Feed & Feed Regulators, a two-day meeting held at FAO headquarters in Rome. In his remarks, he emphasized the importance of collective action to increase fodder & feed production, manage grasslands sustainably, & safeguard landscapes, biodiversity, & ecosystem services – areas where livestock & pastoralists play a vital role for both people & the planet.

The Forum highlights a sector that generates approximately $400 billion in annual commercial turnover, produces 1 billion tons of livestock feed, & employs over 250,000 skilled workers, technicians, managers & professionals worldwide.

The safety & quality of animal feed directly affect food security, human nutrition, livelihoods, animal & public health, & the environment. Improved feed reduces disease, enhances animal welfare, & lowers the need for veterinary drugs – particularly antimicrobials.

Yet, the risks of unsafe, inadequate, or unsustainable feed are significant.

Contaminants such as mycotoxins, microplastics, & chemical residues can harm both animal & human health & disrupt international trade. Poorly managed feed production contributes to deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, & biodiversity loss. Moreover, many countries still lack comprehensive feed legislation or have laws that are not aligned with the Codex Alimentarius – a challenge in today’s globalized supply chains, where feed ingredients cross borders & require robust standards, traceability, risk-based regulation, & international cooperation.

According to the FAO Director-General, there’s a need for science-based policies & regulations to manage feed systems wisely – protecting health, supporting trade, boosting productivity, & building resilience. Moreover, such policies must be inclusive & practical – ensuring that small- & medium-scale farmers have fair access to safe & affordable feed, services, & markets.

“This is where the role of feed regulators is crucial & is why FAO has convened this Global Forum for Animal Feed & Feed Regulators,” Qu said. “FAO has provided a platform for dialogue, knowledge sharing, & consensus-building – & most importantly, for identifying concrete solutions.”

FAO Reference Centres

Organized in collaboration with the International Feed Industry Federation (IFIF), the forum is part of FAO’s “Livestock Week,” which also featured the second Global Conference on Sustainable Livestock Transformation.

Building on the 2023 edition of the Forum, this year’s event provides a platform to share cutting-edge knowledge & scale up successful innovations in feed technologies & processes. Discussions will focus on increasing feed availability & promoting the sustainable & safe use of locally available feed sources – including grains, pasture, forage, & circular economy products.

A key outcome for FAO will be the identification of potential FAO Reference Centres for Animal Feed. These Centres will strengthen collaboration among regulators, laboratories, researchers, & the private sector, accelerating the exchange of knowledge & innovation, the Director-General said.

FAO is committed to organizing this Forum every two years to ensure continuity, accountability, & progress.