In order to reduce the cost of, and reliance on, imports of legume protein for animal feed and other processing needs, research is now in progress to find or develop home-grown legume crops with suitable characteristics for animal feed.
- beans4feeds
- green pig
- crop2industry
Beans4feeds
This £2.6 M (sterling) 11-partner project is industry led and co-funded with Innovate UK. It aims to 'develop air-classification technology for faba beans to improve the economic and environmental sustainablity of UK food production and food security'.
While faba beans are used to feed cows, they have little utility in feeding farmed fish, pigs and poultry. The method of 'air classification' separates bean flour into two fractions - one for feeding Atlantic salmon and one for pigs and poultry.
The project web site also presents infomation on the environmental benefits of beans and other legumes and contains a range of useful information.
Find out more at the link below.
Web link: beans4feeds
Contact: pete.iannetta@hutton.ac.uk
Green pig
Can we use more peas and beans in UK pig diets?
The project undertakes life cycle analysis (primary energy use, carbon footprint, acidification and eutrophication) of changing from soya to home-grown legumes. The work includes defining constraints in using peas and beans for feed, screening of genetic resources, nutritional evaluation of pigs on different diets and demonstration trials.
The project brings together academic partners (SAC, NIAB, University of Nottingham) funded by Defra UK under the Sustainable Livestock Production LINK programme, and industrial partners.
Web links: BPEX
Coordination: SAC Edinburgh, jos.houdijk@sac.ac.uk
Crop2industry
Potential of non-food crops for industrial uses
The project will examine the potential for non-food crops that could be grown within EU countries. The work involves applications of genetic technologies, a search for high value products, supply chain cost analysis, and standards and criteria for environmental and societal consequences. The main targets are oils, fibres, resins and pharmaceuticals but other speciality products are not excluded. This is not a project explicitly on legumes, but legumes could be developed into a range of non-food products in the above categories. The methods and outputs of the project may well be valuable to groups working on new uses for legumes.
Web site: Crop2industry
Funding: EU FP7
