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Organic pig and chicken producers have a major challenge as regards ensuring protein/amino acids in the feed. Potato protein is not yet available in organic form and oilseed rape is a difficult crop to manage in an organic rotation.
Therefore Senior Consultant Tove Serup, The Knowledge Centre for Agriculture, Organic Farming Department has shown an interest in using hamp as an alternative fodder.
Hamp fits in well in the organic crop rotation and contains fibre, oil and protein. And as the hamp grown for pig fodder does not contain cannabis the pigs do not get “high” on the hamp cakes.
The idea of using hamp as a fodder originates from Swedish investigations that earlier have shown that hamp protein has a good digestibility with pigs.
Tove Serup has carried out research that has confirmed the theory that hamp cakes are suitable as a source of protein in pig feed.
The research was carried out with 30 pigs on a demonstration unit at the Development Centre for Freerange Livestock Production, Randers in Denmark. |