On-farm optimisation of faba beans for use in poultry diets

Chicken is the most consumed meat in the UK and has a lower carbon footprint that any other meat, but this could be lowered further if we stop importing soya for chicken feed. Soya replaced fishmeal as a high quality protein source for poultry in Europe when concerns focused on declining fish stocks. Global concern now focuses on the environmental cost of changing land use from tropical rain forest to soya production, and reliance of global supply chains to transport soya to the UK as animal feed. Reliance on imported feed materials also makes the UK vulnerable to global issues such as wars and extreme price fluctuations.

This project aims to make UK faba beans into a poultry feed material that can be used in place of soya in chicken feed would not only greatly reduce the environmental cost of producing poultry meat but also make the UK food supply change more resilient.

Project lead: Ashraf Alkhtib, Nottingham Trent University

Project members: Mike Mallett, Maple Farm Kelsale; Emily Burton, Nottingham Trent University

Findings

• The nutritive value of faba bean produced locally in the UK could be optimised by roasting.
• The roasted faba bean had an amino acid profile better than that of rapeseed meal but still lower than soybean meal.
• The roasted faba bean had a lower carbon footprint compared to rapeseed meal and soybean meal.
• Roasting faba bean meal on the farm is practically feasible.

Suggestions for further research

• The potential of optimised faba beans to replace imported protein sources in other poultry species (laying hen and turkey).
• Further studies should investigate other sustainable optimisation method of faba beans, including enzymes.
• The potential for the inclusion of locally produced legumes in meat and egg production should be researched.