The first snapshot of the Feed Economy emerging from the economic report promoted by Assalzoo (National Association of Livestock Food Producers) for 2021 is set at just under 130 billion euros (127.5 to be precise) and 891 thousand companies involved . collaboration with the independent research organization Nomisma .
What is that
The feed economy is, literally, the economy deriving from feed.
Feed is in fact a key sector of the food supply chain which is among the first links in the livestock production chain. It is therefore a production chain that links agricultural production, livestock farming, industrial transformation and commercial services.
With the report, promoted by Assalzoo in collaboration with Nomisma, this production chain is read in a unitary way for the first time , highlighting how the final product that reaches the consumer's table has a close connection with the fundamental role played by feed.
The numbers
The Italian feed economy is worth around 130 billion euros and involves over 891 thousand companies. These are the most relevant numbers that emerge from the Nomisma study.
The data is the result of the sum of the turnover:
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of the agricultural component dedicated to animal feed , which with around 20 billion represents 35% of the total;
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of food production linked to livestock farming , which with approximately 51 billion in value represents 39% of overall production;
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to which is added the food expenditure of Italians , approximately another 57 billion, i.e. approximately 38% of the total.
This is the first snapshot of the Feed economy that shows the enormous scale of the sector and yet is still incomplete. In fact, Assalzoo's intention is not to stop here and to continue with this work, including in subsequent reports other activities that complete the supply chain : food logistics, machinery and above all consumer services, such as catering, canteens, bars and food and wine tourism.
I study
“The feed industry is an essential link in the national livestock supply chains and contributes decisively to the economic performance of the agri-food industry which includes: agricultural phase, breeding, chemical-pharmaceutical industry, food processing, national and foreign markets” – highlights Ersilia Di Tullio, Nomisma manager of the report -. “ This broad aggregate – identified as Feed Economy – includes a complex production fabric and expresses significant economic values”
The role of the feed
“It was an idea that we had been working on in the Association for some time – notes Lea Pallaroni, general director of Assalzoo -. “It was important for us to be able – he continues – to find the key to finally seeing the essential, but often distant, role that feed manufacturing plays in the food sector recognised.
This report is a first step in this direction. In the years to come we will continue on this path, defining the value of the Feed economy in an even broader and more inclusive way." (Source: https://www.assalzoo.it/ )