This announcement was made by Dr Robert van Barneveld, a pork industry feed consultant who runs the Queensland based company Barneveld Nutrition.

Greater R&D focus
Van Barneveld said, "A greater R&D focus on the value of these pulses in pig diets would reduce the pig industry's reliance on more traditional protein sources. A consistent, high-volume supply of field peas or lupins could help pig producers lower production costs from A$1.80-$ 2.00 per kilogramme (€1.10-€1.22) to about A$ 1.50/kg (€0.92), which would stimulate industry growth."
"The pork industry is already supporting trials of field peas, lupins and faba beans on farms close to large piggeries."

Cost
Van Barneveld explained that the cost of pork production is affected by a lack of dedicated feed grains suited to the pig industry, feed transport costs, and the high and variable costs of cereal grains in times of drought. In addition, there is an increasing market scrutiny of some traditional protein sources, such as animal protein meals.

Plant breeding and research
He added, "For these reasons, the pig industry is investing in plant breeding and agronomic research with a view to producing grains dedicated to pig diets. The aim is to increase the availability of vegetable protein sources to pig producers, particularly field peas which are often seen as the benchmark pulse for pigs due to their high protein levels and starch-derived energy, whereas lupins have little or no starch."

Related website:
Barneveld Nutrition

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