Hemp Feed Coalition in the USA has won another victory for its campaign to feed hemp seed meal as a food to chickens.
Hemp Seed Meal is made by milling or grinding the cake that’s left over after pressing hemp seeds for oil. HSM is a waste product, but it has nutritive value for livestock feed. It contains vitamins and minerals as well as a complete protein profile that includes all 20 amino acid.
However, HSM hadn’t been approved for use as stock feed at a federal level in the USA, mainly due to concerns about the potential presence of delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) winding up in products such as meat, eggs and milk.
AAFCO, who regulates pet and animal food, had to first give its approval before this could be changed.
The Hemp Feed Coalition’s (HFC) efforts over the years began to pay off when the AAFCO Mid-Year Meeting tentatively approved HSM for the laying hens in the early part of 2024. AAFCO’s full membership then voted in favor of HSM a few months after.
There were a few hurdles to clear, such as HSM’s inclusion in the AAFCO official publication (OP). At this stage, commercial adoption in the states that accept HSM for local use can begin.
The OP has published hemp seed meal for laying hens.
The organisation states that “This is a real advance for animal nutrition and hemp.” We’re still facing challenges, but are determined to move the industry forward.
Still, the bottlenecks of state government remain.
HFC, and its members emphasize that the regulatory pathway to market for Hemp Feed remains filled with bureaucratic hurdles.” says the HFC. The AAFCO certification does not guarantee state level acceptance. Companies serving the feed industry have to undergo a long and cumbersome registration process.
HFC, while continuing its work to eliminate barriers in the feeding of HSM to laying chickens, is also working on its next application – hemp seed meals for ruminants like cattle and lambs.
In a similar vein, we have published a study from the Oregon State University last month showing that feeding cows with spent hemp biomass can produce promising results.