Details of the project EPI

Sustainable culinary beef production based on by-products from alcohol and starch production using innovative, low-input methods for their preservation and distribution.

14-04-2023 do 31-12-2024

1 292 508,00

European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development under the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020.

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The main objective of the operation will be to improve the efficiency of fattening of beef cattle on Polish farms through the development of manufacturing technology (technological innovation) and innovative feeds (product innovation), both in the form of ready-to-use TMRs and by-products, i.e. wet cake, dedicated to fattening cattle and testing a pilot line for the production and preservation and packaging of these feeds.

The operation has been divided into 2 main tasks, which will be carried out throughout the operation. The first task related to cattle feeding will directly implement specific objective No. 1. As part of the task, scientific research will be conducted related to the development of an innovative feed recipe based on by-products after ethanol fermentation, both in the form of a ready TMR and the so-called wet cake. The second task related to the development and implementation of a pilot line for the production, preservation and packaging of feed based on by-products.

The implementation of the operation is justified both by the results of research and by farmers' and market needs. A by-product of the production of wheat or maize for high-value alcohol or starch is a wet distillation mass, the so-called "wet cake". In the literature, there are research results confirming the applicability of so-called 'wet cakes' in the feeding of beef cattle (Klopfenstein et al., 2007). Similar reports include the results of a study by Harper Adams Agricultural College in England, where the feasibility of using wet cakes in cattle nutrition was confirmed. The authors unanimously present that the supply of by-products from the processing of cereals and maize will increase dramatically with the development of the ethanol industry.

The planned operation envisages the introduction of a number of product and technological innovations aimed at improving the efficiency of fattening of beef cattle, improving animal welfare during the production and slaughter phases, improving production indicators - daily growth rates, using feed from by-products of the agri-food industry, implementing a prototype technological line for preserving and packaging such feed. In the area of nutrition, a product innovation will be implemented concerning the development of 3 innovative cattle feeds based on by-products from the agri-food industry, including ethanal fermentation pulp, and a new technology will be implemented in the form of an innovative technological system for the preservation and confection of such feeds locally.

The project will contribute to improving the efficiency of Polish beef cattle production, including animal welfare. Implementation of the solutions worked out in the project will contribute to obtaining an economic model of fattening cattle feeding, allowing for reduction of costs, utilisation of by-products and preservation or improvement of growth effectiveness of individual animals, Development of an efficient economic model will contribute to improvement of productivity and competitiveness of the beef sector through introduction of closed-loop elements. Managing the rational use of feed and achieving a better conversion rate of kg of feed per kg of carcass weight gain will contribute to a better use of those natural resources at the disposal of farmland and reduce the cost of producing a kg of carcass.

animal husbandry and welfare