GAIA Actions 2021

Soya cultivation in Greece

An alternative proposal originating from the cooperation of DELTA, HAO-DEMETER and the AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS.

After taking into account:

a. the ever-increasing demand in livestock products due to a rising world population and the improvement in living standards in the world’s most populous nations.

b. the limited availability of land dedicated to animal feeding.

c. the main factors which accelerate the effects of climate change

Then, the main goals of animal farming today are:

a. The health and well-being of livestock

b. Productivity

c. Efficient animal nutrition via the application of precision feeding, namely producing as many livestock products using the least possible quantity of animal feed.

Written By

Giorgos Zervas

Professor at the Agricultural University of Athens

Dr. Vassiliki Kotsabasi

Principal researcher at the Research Institute of Animal Science/ HAO-Demeter

To achieve the third goal, animal feed of high nutritional value (high energy content) and high biological protein value is required. Such foods—which include corn and soy flour—are widely used all over the world, in almost all species of livestock. For high-producing animals, such as dairy cows, soy flour is a necessary ingredient in feeding rations, as it is rich in protein and can be combined with cereals to improve the biological value of protein. However, given the negative perception of genetically-modified products amongst many consumers, along with their eco-friendly approach to life, it is wise to look into cultivations of non-genetically modified soya for animal feed.

In addition, EU policy has made fighting climate change a top priority. Considering that soya is being produced mostly in North and South America, its transportation to Europe carries a heavy carbon footprint which is estimated at 1.07 Kg CO2/Kg of soya. By comparison, the values for wheat and corn silage are 0.589 and 0.382 respectively. As such, non-genetically modified soy flour produced in Greece carries a far lower carbon footprint.

The EU’s self-sufficiency in protein-rich animal feed is around 30%. Which is why considerable effort is being made to promote policies which will help to increase the cultivation of protein-rich animal feed, in order to reduce Europe’s dependency on imports.

01 The cooperating teams of the Research Institute of Animal Science/ HAO-Demeter and DELTA

02 A month later the cultivation has grown. The weeding.

03 Sowing of NGO soya at the Research Institute of Animal Science/ HAO-Demeter’s farm

04 The teams of the Research Institute of Animal Science/ HAO-Demeter and DELTA during the sowing.

In this context, a long-term goal of COPACOGECA (General Confederation of Agricultural Cooperation) is to limit soya imports by 50% until 2040 through the creation of new varieties of leguminous plants and soya, and adapt cultivation techniques according to regional or local conditions. The current CAP allows for increased support to soya cultivation if it is used for animal feed, while for the period of 2020-2027, it prescribes a 50% reduction in greenhouse gases to combat climate change, thus helping to promote animal feed with a smaller carbon footprint.

In the past, soya cultivation in Europe—and Greece—was limited due to financial reasons. However, certain factors, such as prices, subsidies and policy priorities, have changed. This has led to the reexamination and reassessment of soya as a financially viable alternative.

The question that arises from the above is whether animal farmers can mitigate the risk from the recent price increases in animal feed by applying alternative solutions, which are both friendlier to the environment and widely accepted by consumers. Alternative solutions always exist—even though they may generate a lesser output. However, the availability of different solutions makes customisation easier, depending on the characteristics of each business. A solution that has been studied and proven to be beneficial to producers is the cultivation of non-genetically modified soya for use in animal feed.

In Greece, soya’s efficiency per acre is 450 kg, and can go as high as 600 kg. When under-sown, it yields approximately 300 kg per acre, which can provide farmers with an additional source of income.

According to figures by the Institute of Industrial and Forage Crops in Larisa, production costs are 98 euros per acre (by comparison to 128 euros per acre for cotton), and revenue at 120 euros per acre. Vlachostergios a.o., 2015, Animal Science Audit, issue 14

Due to soy flour’s key role in the feeding rations of high-producing cows, sheep and goats, an experimental cultivation of non-genetically modified soya took place in 2018. The cultivation was sponsored by DELTA FOODS and was carried out in cooperation with the Agricultural University of Athens’s Laboratory of Nutritional Physiology & Feeding. Taking into account Greek standards, the results were deemed satisfactory, both in terms of yield per acre and seed quality. Given that the cultivation of non-genetically modified soya is not popular in Greece, the experiment proved that it can be an alternative solution for animal farmers in Greece. This is particularly true if each farm practices its own cultivation and reserves the product for its own use.

Based on these results, in May 2021, DELTA FOODS and HAO-DEMETER completed another cultivation of non-genetically modified soya in the Institute’s farm, with the scientific cooperation of the Agricultural University of Athens. The goal of this study is to further examine the possibility of soya cultivation in Greece and determine the right conditions, productivity levels and production costs.

The expected benefits include the promotion of non-genetically modified soya cultivation in Greece, in order to reduce the dependency of dairy farms on genetically-modified imports, as well as laying the groundwork for improving self-sufficiency in owner-produced, protein-rich animal feed, thus reducing feeding costs.

Soya cultivation

An efficient solution proposed by HAO-DEMETER, Agricultural University of Athens and DELTA

In light of the recent increases in animal feed, Dairy News presents an article on the experimental cultivation of non-genetically modified soya. This part of an effort by the Research Institute of Animal Science/Giannitsa of HAO-DEMETER and DELTA FOODS, with the scientific cooperation of the Agricultural University of Athens.

Article: George Zervas1 and Vassiliki Kotsabasi 2

1 Agricultural University of Athens

2 Research Institute of Animal Science/Giannitsa of HAO-DEMETER

George Zervas and Vassiliki Kotsabasi

The viability of all businesses, including animal farms, requires constant effort. Success depends on may factors. When it comes to animal farming, animal productivity and farm management are very important for remaining competitive and running a viable operation. These factors are often ignored by producers, as they are convinced that there’s no room for improvement. Instead, they focus on cash inflow/outflow, particularly animal feed costs and equipment vs sale prices of milk and meat.

However, the economic climate is often unpredictable. A prescient example is the current upheaval in the global markets, marked by price increases in animal feed which, as a result has also increased the costs of running an animal farm. Animal feed price hikes are due to factors which, to a certain degree, are both unpredictable and difficult to manage short-term. Severe weather phenomena are one such factor.

The international environment and animal feed

These phenomena are not rare; they appear periodically and once they complete their cycle balance is then restored. In the recent past, during the World Food Price Crisis of 2007-2008, the price increase of two main sources of animal feed—corn and soy flour—came as a result of price increases in diesel, biofuel and oleaginous seeds, amongst others. This crisis caused food prices to go up by 6%, 27% and 24% in 2006, 2007 and 2008 respectively.

It also highlighted global issues such as food security, which caused political and financial instability, as well as social unrest, in both developed and developing countries.

In order for animal productivity to reach the animals’ genetic potential, balanced, high-nutrition, high-protein animal feed is required. This is why feeding rations for milk-producing cows, sheep and goats, as well as monogastric animals (such as pigs and birds), are based on protein-rich animal feed, particularly soy flour. As the EU’s self-sufficiency rate in protein-rich animal feed is around 30%, policies are already being implemented to increase the production of protein-rich animal feed which, in turn, will limit Europe’s dependency on imports. As such, one of COPA-COGECA’s (General Confederation of Agricultural Cooperation) long-term goals is to limit soya imports by 50% until 2040, through the creation of new varieties of leguminous plants and soya, and adapt cultivation techniques according to regional or local conditions.

n addition, fighting climate change is one of the EU’s top priorities. Given that soya is being produced mostly in North and South America, its transportation to Europe has a negative environmental impact which should be mitigated.

In 2017, Greece imported 317,754 tonnes of soybean and 331,254 tonnes of soy flour, valued at 230,094,000 euros. In the meantime, in the region of Kavala, 30,000 acres were cultivated—albeit for the production of biodiesel.

Soya: proteins and livestock

The ensuing question is whether animal farmers can improve their competitiveness and adapt better to international animal food market fluctuations by implementing alternative solutions. Alternative solutions always exist—even though they may generate a lesser output. However, the availability of different solutions makes customisation easier, depending on the characteristics of each business. A solution that has been studied and proven to be beneficial to producers is the cultivation of non-genetically modified soya for use in animal feed.

In Greece, soya’s efficiency per acre is 450 kg, and can go as high as 600 kg. When under-sown, it yields approximately 300 kg per acre, which can provide farmers with a additional source of income. According to figures by the Institute of Industrial and Forage Crops in Larisa, production costs are 98 euros per acre (by comparison to 128 euros per acre for cotton), and revenue at 120 euros per acre. Vlachostergios a.o., 2015, Animal Science Audit, issue 14.

As soy flour plays a key role in the feeding rations of high-producing cows, sheep and goats due to its high content in protein of high biological value, an experimental cultivation of non-genetically modified soya took place in 2018. The cultivation was sponsored by DELTA FOODS and was carried out in cooperation with the Agricultural University of Athens’s Laboratory of Nutritional Physiology & Feeding.

The yield per acre was 505 kg of soybean/acre, with the following chemical composition:

Dry matter 86.3%, Total Nitrate Compounds: 34.8%, Fats: 18.1%, NDF: 13,2% and ADF: 9,7%. Upon conclusion, it was deemed necessary to further study cultivation techniques, particularly herbicide. Taking into account Greek standards, the results were deemed satisfactory, both in terms of yield per acre and seed quality.

In 2018, based on the results and the experience accumulated from this experiment, the Research Institute of Animal Science/Giannitsa of HAO-DEMETER and DELTA FOODS completed another cultivation of non-genetically modified soya in the Institute’s farm, with the scientific cooperation of the Agricultural University of Athens.

The goal of this study is to further examine the possibility of soya cultivation in Greece and determine the right conditions, productivity levels and production costs, as well as whether it can be used as animal feed for high-producing animals, replacing genetically-modified imports.

Methodology of implementation

In May 2021, a sowing of non-genetically modified soya took place on a 10-acre piece of land, part of the Research Institute of Animal Science of HAO-DEMETER’s property. The sowing took place using 75cm×5cm spacing, with 5 kg of non-genetically modified soybean seed used per acre. Lubrication, application of herbicides, plowing and weeding will follow before final harvesting.

This cultivation will be monitored throughout its vegetative states. Depending on weather conditions, harvesting and yield assessment are expected to take place in October. Finally, its chemical composition will be assessed by the Agricultural University of Athens’s Laboratory of Nutritional Physiology & Feeding, in order to determine its nutritional value and whether it can be part of the nutrition of dairy cows.

Expected benefits

Assuming that soybean seed production is not only feasible in Greece, but also financially viable as protein-rich animal feed, as well as environment-friendly, there’re a couple of benefits: (1) the promotion of non-genetically modified soya, aimed at reducing the dependency of dairy farms on imported, genetically-modified soya and (2) laying the groundwork for achieving a high rate of self-sufficiency in owner-produced animal feed, thus reducing feeding costs.

The results of the study, including soya cultivation methods, will be shared with the country’s animal farmers through their cooperation with DELTA FOODS, various seminars, as well as the trade’s print and electronic media.

George Zervas is a Professor of Nutritional Physiology & Feeding at the Agricultural University of Athens, ex-chancellor of the Hellenic Agricultural Academy, ex-vice president of the European Association for Animal Production and ex-president of the Hellenic Society of Animal Production.

Vasiliki Kotsabasi is a principal researcher at the Research Institute of Animal Science of HAO-DEMETER. She is also holds a PhD from the Agricultural University of Athens’s Department of Animal Science. Her research interests include the nutrition of farm animals, the evaluation of the nutritional value of protein-rich animal feed, as well as other raw material that can be used in animal feed, the utilisation of the agricultural industry’s by-products and the application of modern biotechnology in animal nutrition (probiotics, prebiotics, essential oils, etc.).

DELTA FOODS

Research on alternative cultivation for the production of animal feed.

Since 2012, as part of the GAIA Action Plan, DELTA FOODS has been implementing and sponsoring actions pertaining to the sustainable development of Greek animal farming. These include research, education and technical support, as well as the uitilisation of cultivations for the production of animal feed.

In cooperation with the Agricultural University of Athens, DELTA performs research on pilot alternative cultivations which can prove highly beneficial for the sustainability of animal farming. Priority has been given to leguminous plant cultivation, as well as other cultivations which can be used for animal feed. The goal is to create a database on the conditions under which they can be cultivated, as well as their utilization for the nutrition of milk-producing livestock (silage, hay), all-the-while ensuring the use of agricultural land during the winter months and producing protein-rich animal feed.

Leguminous plants play a key role in this, as they can substitute other, often more expensive, sources of protein. Yet another goal of these cultivations is to enhance agricultural sustainability practices, which can help to reduce their environmental footprint. This is possible since the cultivations improve the quality of the soil by supplying nitrogen through nitrogen fixation which, in turn, limits the use of fertilisers and is less demanding on irrigation. Additional benefits include the uitilisation of land during the winter months, as well as land that is either not irrigated or is characterised by low fertility.

The cultivations that have been studied extensively and are recommended to Greek animal farmers are the following:

A) Co-culture of leguminous plants and cereals: vetch-barley, pea-oats, animal-farming bean-oats. These are suitable for grazing (sheep and goats), silage (cattle) or hay production (sheep, goats and cattle). Vetch-barley co-culture silage can substitute corn silage in total-mix feeding rations of dairy cows, without affecting the quantity or chemical composition of milk. As it is richer in protein than corn, it allows the reduction of soya flour from 35% to just 10%.

This substitution represents considerable savings in soya flour on a daily basis, which can be financially beneficial to the producer. The co-culture of leguminous plants and cereals produces chloromas with a satisfactory yield per acre, as well as a higher concentration of nitrogenous substances than corn. An additional benefit is that it’s a cultivation performed in autumn, which doesn’t require irrigation, allowing for a spring cultivation to take place on the same piece of land. Finally, cereals make use of the nitrogen captured by leguminous plants (vetch, for example) requiring little to no lubrication.

B) Multi-grain cultivation (Mix of leguminous plants and cereals)

Multi-grain cultivation is a great alternative for the production of roughage, since it takes place over the winter season and requires no irrigation. Also, it enriches the soil with nitrogen which can be beneficial to the cultivation of cereals during the following season. The selection of the ideal multi-grain mix for any given area depends on the soil and weather conditions of that area.