June 25, 2025
China's big plan to slash soybean meal for feed use in coming years
In April, China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs released a notice which focuses on cutting average feed consumption in livestock production.
Key targets include increasing the utilisation of non-grain feed resources to over 10 million tonnes; expanding the production of high-quality forage by more than 40 million tonnes relative to 2023; and lowering the average grain inclusion rate of feeds to about 60% (particularly that of soybean meal to 10%).
In 2024, China's grain inclusion rate of feed averaged 60.89%, equating to around 290 million tonnes of grain (with 470 million tonnes of feed produced annually). This includes 180 million tonnes of corn, 33 million tonnes of wheat, and 77 million tonnes of soybean meal.
Total feed consumption is projected to increase to 491 million tonnes by 2030. At current feed formulations, soybean meal use could surpass 80 million tonnes.
Under the new plan, China's soybean meal consumption would drop to 49 million tonnes — a reduction of 28 million tonnes compared to 2024. It requires that, by 2030, average feed consumption per kilogramme of animal products from industrial farms to drop by more than 0.2 kg ,a decrease of more than 7%, compared with 2023's 485 million tonnes. This translates to total feed consumption dropping to 451 million tonnes, while the use of soybean meal will fall by more than five million tonnes.
To meet targets, the plan emphasises:
- Developing precision feed formulation and digital decision-making tools, including systems that can help balance energy and amino acids inputs;
- Creating feed formulations tailored for diverse feed compositions and livestock conditions and utilising green feed additive-based technologies;
- R&D support for low-protein feed formulas, including the inclusion of amino acid and enzyme supplements;
- Accelerating the development and adoption of alternative protein sources.
Moreover, the initiative calls for advancing digital feeding management systems to drive the development of intelligent feeding equipment and software for precision livestock farming.
Last year, China's soybean imports exceeded 100 million tonnes. Ongoing geopolitical tensions with the United States have prompted the country to reduce dependency on US soybeans by shifting sourcing to Brazil and Argentina, while promoting the reformation of domestic feed formulas.
Through its comprehensive plan, China is not only addressing its food security, but also taking steps to reshape the global soybean supply chain and advance sustainable agriculture.
About EFL AG-DATA
- EFL AG-DATA