From the editors of Feedstuffs
Dietary Guidelines 2025 scientific report released
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health & Human Services jointly announced that the Scientific Report of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) is now available on DietaryGuidelines.gov. The report contains the 2025 DGAC’s (Committee) independent, evidence-based findings and advice to the HHS and USDA. The Scientific Report, alongside public comments and federal agency input, will inform the two departments as they develop the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030, which is expected to be published in late 2025.
“The Dietary Guidelines serve as the foundation for national nutrition programs, standards and education. They provide health professionals with guidance and resources to assist the public in choosing an overall healthy diet that works for them. And they help HHS, USDA and others in the federal government to tailor our policies to best serve the American people,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said. Read more
Antibiotic stewardship in U.S. poultryproduction progresses
Updated research, supported by the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY), was released Dec. 9 quantifying the U.S. poultry industry’s on-farm antibiotic use. The updated report shows continued improvements in antibiotic stewardship and a commitment to disease prevention within poultry production.
As part of its commitment to the transparency and sustainability of a safe food supply, the poultry industry aims to strike a balance between the responsible use of antibiotics “medically important” to human health and keeping poultry flocks healthy, according to a news release from USPOULTRY.Under the research direction of Dr. Randall Singer of Mindwalk Consulting Group LLC and a professor of epidemiology at the College of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Minnesota’s Department of Veterinary & Biomedical Sciences, this report represents an 11-year set of data collected from 2013 to 2023 for U.S. broiler chickens and turkeys and represents an eight-year set of data collected from 2016 to 2023 for layers.
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With immense focus placed on progressing the dairy industry to new heights, Neogen Corp. announced the launch of its proprietary dairy genomics index, Lifetime Dairy Dollars (LD$).
Addressing the complex demands of modern dairy farming, Neogen said it developed LD$ to promote genetic improvement, resulting in the continued advancement of the dairy industry. The index strategically weights key areas such as Production (44%), Health (21%), Fertility (17%), Longevity (12%) and Functional Type (6%) – elevating selection for productivity, health and longevity in the milking herd. Backed by scientific research, LD$ impacts lifetime profitability to ensure that selected animals not only produce more but also live longer, healthier lives, the announcement noted.“The introduction of Lifetime Dairy $ exemplifies Neogen’s dedication to the improvement of dairy animals,” said Anthony Ling, U.S. dairy marketing manager at Neogen. “The breakdown of the relative emphasis on each major category demonstrates our commitment to helping producers create cattle that excel in all phases of performance.”By leveraging LD$ in selection and breeding decisions, producers can genetically achieve cattle that produce more milk, breed back more quickly and have improved health, according to Neogen.
EU compound feed market offers mixed outlook
Key drivers for the EU compound feed production market in 2024 included economic uncertainty, regulatory changes, and ongoing environmental and animal disease impacts. Looking forward into 2025, FEFAC sees these factors continuing to shape production dynamics across the EU, affecting different animal feed sectors in varied ways.
According to data from FEFAC, industrial compound feed production in the EU27 is projected to rise slightly by 0.50% in 2024 compared to 2023, reaching 147 million tons.
