NEWS FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE July 2025 103 An interdisciplinary research team involving the Research Institute of Farm Animal Biology (FBN) in Dummerstorf, Germany, and the Universities of Rostock, Munich, Germany, and University of Vienna, Austria, discovered that willow leaves have the potential to drastically reduce ammonia and nitrous oxide emissions from cattle farming. The study, published in the journal Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, shows that a natural feed additive could make pasture farming more environmentally friendly - and a traditional medicinal product is finding a new application. An ancient natural medicine could help to reduce the ecological footprint of agriculture in the future: Willow leaves. As part of a collaborative project, scientists from the FBN and the participating universities have jointly demonstrated that certain ingredients in willow leaves can significantly reduce environmentally and climate-damaging nitrogen emissions from cattle urine - by up to 81 percent. The tests were carried out at the FBN in Dummerstorf. Ammonia (NH₃) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) are among the main gaseous nitrogen compounds released in large quantities by agriculture worldwide. Around 80 percent of global ammonia and 81 percent of nitrous oxide emissions are attributable to this sector. What’s particularly problematic is that while ammonia acidifies soils and over-fertilizes ecosystems, nitrous oxide has around 300 times more impact on the climate than CO₂ and remains in the atmosphere for around 150 years. Read more>> Ancient medicinal plant reduces cattle emissions by 81% Olymel, a Canadian company specializing in the production, processing and distribution of pork and poultry meats, announced the construction of a major expansion of its La Fernandière plant in Trois-Rivières, a major investment of $142 million that will allow Olymel to better serve its customers in Canada and abroad. The work will begin soon, with the start of operations scheduled for spring 2026. Olymel is pursuing several objectives with this project and significant gains are expected in the first year of operation. The plant, which essentially manufactures sausages at the present time, will expand production to include a wider range of pork and poultry products. It will also be converted into an integrated facility where products can be fully processed and packaged on site, thus reducing the transport of raw materials, better aligning processes, and strengthening the company's productivity, according to the announcement. Finally, this new plant will considerably increase Olymel's production capacity at a time when the organization is aiming to strengthen the positioning of its products across Canada. "We're very proud to announce this major expansion of our Trois-Rivières plant. It's a big step forward for Olymel. Having this state-of-the-art plant will create new possibilities for expansion and significantly improve our efficiency, which is central to our company's performance. The project is perfectly aligned with our strategy of capitalizing on the creation of value-added products made with meat of superior quality that's produced by local farmers," declared Yanick Gervais, CEO of Olymel. Read more>> Olymel to enhance processing plant with new pork and poultry products Photo: IFFO Photo: FBN
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