Leading global feed companies 2020, based on feed production volume
Feed companies - additional information
Animal feed is the nourishment provided for domestic animals. The fundamental categories of animal feed are called fodder and forage. Forage is a type of plant material, composed mainly of plant leaves and stems, which is consumed by grazing livestock. Fodder refers to food given to the animals, including plants which are cut and carried to them, rather than food that they forage for themselves.
In 2014, the worldwide feed production volume amounted to over 980 million metric tons. Poultry and pig feed accounted for more than two-thirds of the volume. That year, the pig feed volume amounted to some 255.87 million metric tons, up from 242.8 million metric tons the previous year. Asia was the leading pig feed producer in 2014, followed by North America.
Cargill was the leading animal feed company in the world as of 2016, with a production volume of approximately 19.5 million metric tons. China’s New Hope Liuhe placed second with 15.71 million metric tons. U.S. corporation Purina Animal Nutrition ranked third with a production volume of 12.7 million metric tons. China was the largest animal feed-producing country that year, since nine out of the global leading 20 feed companies were Chinese-owned firms.