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Despite intense pressure from disease outbreaks, economic instability, and climatic disruptions, the global animal feed industry demonstrated resilience in 2024, with production rising 1.2% to 1.396 billion metric tons. This recovery, following a stagnant 2023, is one of the standout findings in Alltech’s Agri-Food Outlook 2025, based on data from over 28,000 feed mills across 142 countries.
Leading the recovery was the poultry sector, which maintained its dominant share of 42.7% of total feed volume, though growth slowed due to the global spread of High Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). The economic impact of HPAI was substantial—causing widespread flock losses, trade disruptions, and soaring egg and broiler prices. The USDA’s $1 billion intervention strategy in early 2025 underlined just how costly this disease has become.
Interestingly, pet food emerged as the fastest-growing segment, expanding by 4.5%, thanks to rising demand for premium formulations and humanization trends. Meanwhile, dairy and beef feed also posted solid gains of 3.2% and 1.8%, respectively, suggesting renewed investment in ruminant nutrition.
Feed tonnage increased in Latin America (+3.6%), Europe (+2.7%), and Africa (+7.2%), but Asia-Pacific—the world’s largest feed region—contracted slightly (-0.8%), mainly due to a sharp 6.5 million metric ton drop in China’s output. Structural overcapacity, ASF challenges, and weak margins weighed heavily on the region.
Consumer behavior also shifted notably in 2024, with 49% of surveyed stakeholders identifying economic pressure and food prices as the main drivers of changing preferences. In regions hit hardest by inflation or disease, demand pivoted toward cheaper proteins like eggs and chicken.
The report positions animal feed as a real-time indicator of global livestock health and agri-market direction. While disease threats persist, the industry’s adaptive capacity—via biosecurity upgrades, new technologies, and more sustainable feed strategies—remains strong. The sector heads into 2025 with cautious optimism, and with a clear message: resilience will depend not only on tonnage, but on transformation.
Source: Alltech Agri-Food Outlook 2025
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