Serious thought needs to be given to sustainability before seaweed is adopted as a major source of ingredients for animal feed.

This is the thrust of a new report, Mapping the Intertidal Seaweed Resources of the Outer Hebrides, which looks at the possibility of farming seaweed from the ocean, the Scotsman reports.

The aquatic plant is already used in animal feeds, and with the cost of cereals remaining high and volatile, manufacturers are looking at new ingredients that can be used on a large scale.
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Firms in the biomass and biofuels industries are set to benefit from a renewable energy push for many years to come, it appears.

According to research from consultancy Arup, renewable energies could provide at least 35 per cent of the UK's energy capacity by the year 2020.

However, this is dependent on the government embracing renewable energy and making suitable changes to legislation that would allow it to flourish.
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An animal feed manufacturer is developing a new product that can make the livestock transition phase from pasture to feed yard easier.

Currently, for the first 28 days in the feed yard, cattle are fed a special diet that helps their rumen microflora to adapt from a grass to a feed diet.

This diet includes plenty of roughage, but this can be expensive, inefficient and difficult to handle, according to South West Farm Press.
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Biofuels manufacturers could see a reduction in government subsidies in order to stabilise food prices across the globe.

A report prepared by ten multinational agencies states that rising demand for crops to be used for biofuels is pushing the price of commodities too high, having a knock-on effect throughout the food chain.

Some of the organisations behind the document's publication include the World Bank, the World Trade Organisation and the United Nations.
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Firms in the biofuels industry can expect strong sector growth throughout 2011, according to new research.

A report from Automotive World finds that demand for petroleum-based fuel will return to growth in the coming years, but need for biofuels is expected to see a much larger increase.

The biofuels sector is set to double its 2009 size by 2015, with ethanol production alone set to rise by 40 per cent during this period.
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A volatile commodities market and harsh weather conditions have been behind a rise in the cost of animal feed.

This is the view of the British Retail Consortium (BRC), which has charted the escalating cost of cereals and other foods over the past year.

Corn, one of the main ingredients used in animal feed manufacturing, is now 112 per cent more expensive than it was this time last year, with these extra costs having to be passed on to livestock farmers and, in turn, the consumer.
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Firms in the biofuels industry could soon be benefiting from discount rapeseed crops, due to stringent new guidelines.

According to Farmers Weekly, from the 2011 harvest, growers will need to sign a sustainability declaration for oilseed rape to ensure it complies with the European Union's Renewable Energy Directive.

Any crops that do not have this declaration will be subject to a price penalty, it suggests, which could result in a surplus of reduced cost oilseed rape being available.
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Plastics manufacturing firms may have to adjust their processes ahead of the introduction of a new law concerning cadmium.

All produced plastics must be free from the presence of cadmium from December 2011, the European Commission has announced.

The potentially hazardous substance is often used in plastic fittings that join dissimilar materials.
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Animal feed producers on the Isle of Wight are facing a tough winter ahead following long periods of drought this spring.

According to the Matt Legge from the island's branch of the National Farmers Union, the driest spring for more than 100 years has left crop supplies at very low levels.

He told the Isle of Wight County Press that without a good amount of rain in the coming weeks, yields of hay and other feeds will not be sufficient to meet needs from the region's livestock farmers.
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One of the largest ever consignments of animal feed has arrived at Glasgow Docks, comprising some 65,000 tonnes of soya bean meal from South America.

The Scotsman reports that Andrew Mackay, managing director of importing company Cefetra, said the large load is the most efficient way of importing bulk foodstuffs, providing benefits to farmers who receive animal feeds at world prices.

"It avoids the costs of transhipping and by bringing bulk ship loads right up into Glasgow it is much closer to our customers in Scotland," he told the newspaper.
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