Facts and Figures of the Canadian Feed Industry

Nutrition Update
Volume 12 No.1, May 2001

Source: Animal Nutrition Association of Canada. 2000.

• Total sales represent over CDN$3.5 billion (global shipments of livestock and poultry feed products, excluding pet food)

• Approximately 8800 people employed by industry in manufacturing units

• Estimated total complete feed equivalent required to feed all livestock and poultry in Canada is 21 to 23 million metric tonnes

• Based on complete feed equivalent, requirements by volume for various species are:

  • Hog 36%

  • Beef 29%

  • Dairy 18%

  • Poultry 14%

  • Other 3%

• Approximately 50% of the overall complete feed equivalent volume required to feed all livestock and poultry in Canada is manufactured on non-commercial on-farm mixing establishments

• Swine, dairy and poultry feeds account for approximately 85% of the complete feeds manufactured and sold by commercial manufacturers in Canada

• There are an estimated 520 commercial feed manufacturing establishments in Canada:

  • Atlantic 5%

  • Quebec 34%

  • Ontario 33%

  • Prairies 23%

  • British Columbia 5%

• The industry relies on imports from the United States, Europe and Asia for the majority of the high value single micro-ingredients, i.e. vitamins, trace minerals, amino acids, animal health pharmaceuticals and other micro feed additives, used in most feed products as there is virtually no vitamin production in Canada and the pharmaceutical fine chemical industry is limited.

• Exports into the United States are primarily confined to cross-border movement of complete feeds and originate mainly in eastern Canada from Ontario and Quebec and in the west primarily from Alberta. Exports of value added specialty products such as milk replacers, mink and fox feeds, horse feeds and some specialty micro-premixes, are expanding in Mexico, Latin America, South America, Europe and Asia.

• The Canadian feed industry is comprised of establishments that vary in size and manufacturing capacity from relatively small mills to large sophisticated and vertically integrated operations. Annual sales of operations vary from $1 million to over $130 million.