Skretting has unveiled salmon feed formulations made completely fishmeal-free, which also deliver equal performance levels of fish growth and health.
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The research, which has been backed up by evidence from the Skretting Aquaculture Research Centre (ARC), means the company can be increasingly flexible with raw material inclusions.
Jose Villalon, corporate sustainability director at Nutreco, Skretting’s parent company, said: “This breakthrough in raw material flexibility gives us the ability to provide a significant contribution to feeding the global population that is expected to reach 9bn by 2050.”
The research also enables the available responsibly sourced fishmeal resource to go much further than in the past. This therefore is hoped to increase the sustainability credentials of salmon production over the world.
“Through our research, we have detailed evidence proving salmonids can be fed with feeds that are devoid of fishmeal,” explained Dr Leo Nankervis, team leader of salmonid nutrition at Skretting ARC.
He added: “This is very important knowledge that we will utilise to give us more flexibility with regards to the composition of our commercial feeds.”
The company has devoted 25 years to exploring the potential for alternative raw materials to replace traditional feed components while ensuring optimum fish growth and health.
Dr Nankervis continued: “There is a finite amount of fishmeal available in the market. Therefore, in order for aquaculture to expand to offer a genuinely viable solution to the challenge of feeding a fast growing population, it is essential that the fishmeal resource is used in the most efficient ways possible.
“Fishmeal availability will not limit the further expansion of the salmon farming industry.” ■
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