Billions Of Well-Fed Chickens: How Hempseed Could Redefine US Poultry Production

The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) has approved hempseed meal, a byproduct of hemp oil production, as a feedstock for laying hens.

This decision was reached during AAFCO’s annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas, following a yearslong effort by U.S. hemp industry stakeholders.

Hempseed meal, also known as hempseed “cake,” will be tentatively listed later this year in AAFCO’s official publication, guiding feed industry regulations and procedures. This tentative listing allows individual states to move forward with commercial adoption.

Overcoming Objections And Setting Standards

The approval of hempseed meal by AAFCO was achieved after overcoming objections from the Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance (CHTA) and the European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA).

These groups had advocated for different standards regarding THC and CBD limits in hempseed meal. The final definition set by AAFCO limits total THC to 2 parts-per-million (ppm) and total CBD to 20 ppm, differing from the standards proposed by the CHTA and EIHA.

Hemp Today reported that U.S. hemp feed advocates prevailed despite concerns about potential impacts on global markets.

Implications For U.S. Poultry Industry

This approval holds significance for the U.S. poultry industry, where about 20,000 family farmers with production contracts contribute to approximately 95% of broiler production.

These farms, along with a small percentage of company-owned and independent farms, produced over 9.4 billion broiler chickens in 2023, weighing 62 billion pounds.

The U.S. poultry industry, the largest in the world, marketed 46.4 billion pounds of chicken products last year. Once hempseed meal is validated as a feedstock by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, it will ensure safety and potentially influence both domestic and international markets, especially as Americans consume more chicken per capita than any other country, reaching 101.1 pounds in 2023.

Read Next: U.S. Army Invests $1.9M To Develop Hemp-Manufactured Buildings For Military Operations

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