On Friday 21st April,  “The Danish Solution on Pelagic Bulk Landings” took place at MID. The purpose of the event was to to discuss the handling of weighing and requirements of species sorting regarding landings and deliveries to Danish fishmeal and fish oil factories. The event had a diverse range of speakers who shared their knowledge and experiences in the industry.

Fishmeal is recognized by nutritionists as a high-quality and very digestible feed ingredient that is favored for addition to the diets of most farm animals.

Fishmeal carries large quantities of energy per unit weight and is an excellent source of protein, lipids (oils), minerals, and vitamins.  Specifically, the high levels of lysine and methionine can be difficult to replace when using other feed ingredients.

At the European fishmeal and fish oil producers (EFFOP) PFAS workshop March 22nd 2023, the nutritional, welfare and environmental challenges associated with replacing fishmeal in the Danish egg industry were highlighted. Marine Ingredients Denmark (MID) understands the decision that has led to the removal of fishmeal for organic egg producers in Denmark, due to a desire to have a feed ingredient that that is “100% PFAS free”. Following the DTU study on organic eggs,  the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration has also examined fish from marine environment and fish farms during this period. 100% of the samples showed either no PFAS or levels far below the limit value, according to the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration. “The new samples show that there is no risk of getting unwanted PFAS in fish from marine and fish farms, despite the fact that the farmed fish actually receive significant levels of fishmeal as part of their feed” according to the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration. This suggests that the ongoing question of high PFAS carry over from fishmeal may be a specific issue to eggs. But more research is needed. 

Since the DTU press release, EFFOP has been working to map areas of risk and how fishmeal from these areas falls into current EU regulations. No current levels are advised for feed ingredients, this paucity of information has created challenges, however EFFOP will coordinate and share all its data with EFSA to assist the decision makers. What can be seen from the data so far, is that PFAS levels in European fishmeal is very context specific and likely driven by species-specifics, production methods and spatial and temporal variations. PFAS levels have become an additional quality parameter routinely performed for each fishmeal batch by the producers and this will be available on request by the customer.

MID would be happy to collaborate for future PFAS monitoring and toxicokinetics with fishmeal.

On April 21st, Marine Ingredients Denmark will host an international workshop on the control of Pelagic landings using the “Danish way” in Copenhagen.

At the workshop, the handling of weighing and requirements of species sorting for landings and deliveries to Danish fishmeal and fish oil factories will be presented and discussed with stakeholders from industry and administration.

For more information click here

If you are interested in attending the workshop, please sign up here 

For further questions please contact us at MID@maring.org

In March, Marin Ingredients Denmark attended the Danish Export Aquaculture conference in Copenhagen to represent the fishmeal producers of Denmark. 

A wide range of topics was discussed from an international panel of speakers. The first talk focused on current trends in the aquaculture industry with future key markets globally for feed, equipment and technology suppliers to the industry. Shrimp farming is an exciting sector with large scope for growth as the technological innovations within the sector become more and more pronounced. This was followed by a talk promoting commercial aquaculture production of new exotic species, highlighting the opportunities and challenges associated with aquaculture diversification. 

After lunch, GeoSalmo presented a a 24,000 tonne hybrid flow-through land based salmon farm concept in Iceland followed by Schneider Electric’s circular approach to land-based fish-farming.  This presentation highlighted the urgent need for optimal exploitation of resources, energy efficiency and carbon neutrality. Of key importance to Schneider Electrics vision was the LCA method and implementation of product environmental footprint category rules (PEFCR).

Common issues were discussed at the networking events throughout the conference, MID used this an opportunity to engage with the industry on the ongoing PFAS issue in food safety. 

On Monday 23rd January 2023, DTU food released its public report showing high PFAS contamination in the Danish organic egg industry. The investigation correlated the high PFA profile to high levels found in fishmeal, a crucial ingredient in livestock feed. The report had important repercussions for the whole feed industry where there is an urgent need for technical information and guidance for feed and animal producers alike. The aim of this workshop is to bring together academic, political, and industrial stakeholders to share their experiences with PFA contamination and their potential solutions going forward.

For more information about the workshop please click here

To sign up for the event please click here 

On April 21st, Marine Ingredients Denmark will host an international workshop on the control of Pelagic landings using the “Danish way” in Copenhagen.

At the workshop, the handling of weighing and requirements of species sorting for landings and deliveries to Danish fishmeal and fish oil factories will be presented and discussed with stakeholders from industry and administration.

For more information click here

If you are interested in attending the workshop, please sign up here 

For further questions please contact us at MID@maring.org