Why use by-products for feeding small ruminants?
By-products from the food industry can be utilized as feed for small ruminants – goats and sheeps – to the benefit of both farmers and animals. Furthermore, the utilization of the by-products can reduce waste production from the fruit and vegetable industry, and thus also improve the resource efficiency to the good of the environment.
The by-products represent a significant annual volume of potential feed that can be incorporated into animal diet, as nearly 50 pct. of all fruits and vegetables in the European Union go to waste. The losses occure during agricultural production, processing, distribution to retailers and by the consumers.
Based on research from the SOLID project Spanish animal nutritionists recommend Mediterranean farmers to apply a low- input strategy using by-products from the olive- and greenhouse industry as feed for the small ruminant.- goats and sheep.
Read more:
- SOLID Technical Note:
Vegetable by-products for feeding dairy goats in Spain - Spanish nutritionists put olives and tomatoes on the goat menu
- e-Learning material on the use of by-products
Video: Feeding goats with by-products (Spanish language)
Examples of by-products suited for feeding small ruminants
- Tomato surplus
- Olive pulp
- Olive leaves
- Cauliflower
- Pomegranate pulp
- Tomatoes pulp
- Orange leaves
- Waste oranges
Two Spanish farms involved in SOLID
Two Spanish farms have been involved in SOLID´s on-farm participatory research conducted by the Animal Nutrition Institute at CSIC in Granada. The research aimed at finding the means to reduce livestock feeding costs by using by-products.
Case farm: The Pérez farm was a SOLID case study – read more
Background: General information on the case farms in Spain
Article: Goats and chease – a passion for the Pérez family
Goats love cauliflower waste – and other by-products
Goats apparently love cauliflower. The video shot by Spanish animal nutritionists involved in the SOLID project leaves no doubt. The movie star goats belong to the Pérez Family, who run a dairy goat farm outside Granada in Southern Spain.