March 17, 2010
German animal feed manufacturers see higher sales in 2010
German animal feed makers expect higher sales in 2010 following a fall in 2009 as European livestock farming stabilises, according to the association of feed producers DVT.
Feed sales in 2009 fell about 5% on-year to around 21 million tonnes, the DVT said in a statement.
DVT president Helmut Wulf said prospects for 2010 were better as the EU's crisis-ridden milk sector was stabilising and pig farming expanded, helped by strong pork exports. Larger feed sales for chicken farming in 2010 were also expected.
"We expect a 2010 sales volume of over 21 million tonnes of compound feed," Wulf said.
German animal feed sales by value fell by about 25% on-year in 2009 to EUR5.6 billion (US$7.7 billion), the DVT said.
The reason was largely the dramatic fall in grain and oilseed prices along with lower sales. US wheat futures lost 11% in 2009, having fallen by more than 30% in 2008, while soy futures rose nearly 7% last year after having lost nearly 20% in 2008.
"On the supply side, the industry expects a good supply offer because of full grain inventories and a large South American soy crop," it said.
However, it was still concerned about the impact of the EU's zero-tolerance policy on imports of non-approved genetically-modified (GM) crops which had disrupted supplies of soy in autumn 2009.