From the left: Einar Wathne, Henning Beltestad, Maria Helsengreen, Nina Stangeland, Andreas Kvame, Håvard Walde, Elise Sæle Dahle and Björgólfur Hávarðsson. Photo: Silje Ringheim
At the launch, Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Policy, Bjørnar Selnes Skjæran, stated why it is important to focus on sustainable feed.
– It`s one of the most important things we can work with to create an even more sustainable industry. It concerns food safety, it`s about taking care of the climate and the environment, and it`s about job opportunities and value creation, he said.
Contributions from the whole value chain
In the report, research institutions, industry pioneers and a panel of sector specialists have contributed to sum up the accumulated knowledge and pointed at challenges that needs to be resolved.
Thus, the report “Future ingredients for Norwegian salmon feed” is aiming to be a composition of insight from the whole value chain, presenting barriers and possibilities for novel feed ingredients.
– Our ambition is that this report will give “industry insight” in an effective format, and that it will contribute to the knowledge foundation in strategy processes at companies and industry stakeholders in the field. In addition to provide a foundation for political discussions around this topic, our Managing Director, Nina Stangeland states.
Mind the gap
– The gap between ambition and practice is larger than most people imagine – and the demand from the industry remains unsatisfied, Nina Stangeland says.
There is a crucial need to meet the demand for sustainable feed. The report suggests that an increased feed volume of approximately 1 million tonnes is necessary to meet the growth ambitions by 2030. Our analysis indicates that only 140` of the 1 million tonnes we “need” can by met by novel, Norwegian-produced ingredients.
In other words, it is a significant gap between the current volume and the planned volume growth. Looking at existing value chains and improving their sustainability will therefore also be necessary.
Improvements have an enormous potential
Among the ingredients with the highest volume potentials by 2030 are blue mussels, land animal by-products, and photoautotrophic microalgae. The report suggests that on a short term, they are likely to contribute to the largest volumes of future feed ingredients.
However, overcoming the barriers for growth is essential. Lack of regulatory framework, national strategy, funding, and customer acceptance are amongst the obstacles going forward. Working to overcome this, is not easy, according to Chairman of the Board at NCE Seafood Innovation, Einar Wathne.
– There is an enormous potential in improving the footprint of feed and thus of farmed salmon. It will require to challenge the present, make some bold decisions, changes, and upfront investments, collaborate in the value chain and communicate the message to the consumer, he says.
Critical success factors
To meet national ambitions for feed and salmon production towards 2030, the report identifies four critical success factors:
- Meeting future demand through a portfolio of resources
- Developing an overall strategy for bioresources
- Developing a strategy for sustainable feed ingredients
- Introducing incentives to scale-up production of Norwegian feed ingredients