The animal feed transport industry is one of the most important industries when it comes to our global food supply. Countries all throughout the world rely on each other for animal feed, from corn and barley to pellets and hay.
While we rely heavily on the animal feed transport industry, it’s not as simple as it might seem. Transporting animal feed is a detailed process that involves a lot of regulations and logistics. Discover how animal feed is safely transported to feed livestock all over the world.
International animal feed transport starts at the feed production site. Once the feed has been harvested and processed, it needs to be packaged. Next, the feed is loaded onto a vehicle and checked against animal feed regulations. During transit, real-time monitoring allows buyers and sellers to track the status of each delivery. When the delivery arrives, it’s inspected for quality.
All of these stages work together to prevent contamination, spoilage and regulatory non-compliance.
Animal feed changes hands several times throughout this process, from being loaded onto a vehicle to delivery and inspection.
During transit, animal feed may be subject to high moisture levels, pests and pathogens. These contaminants can reduce the nutritional value of animal feed or introduce harmful diseases to livestock.
Mycotoxin contamination leading to reduced animal growth rates is a prime example of why it’s important to safely transport animal feed. There have also been countless outbreaks of livestock illness in recent decades.
When a shipment is rejected or causes an outbreak, it has a significant economic impact on the farmers who rely on your animal feed.
Phytosanitary certificates are used to verify that plants are free of pests and diseases, ensuring the feed you’re providing is safe for livestock.
USDA APHIS also has specific requirements for export, including pre-export inspections and sample testing to ensure the safety of livestock feed.
IPPC ISPM 15 guidelines for wood packaging state that wood pallets must be heat treated, fumigated and marked according to standards.
FSMA’s Sanitary Transportation Rule outlines procedures for cleaning, temperature control and contamination prevention.
GMP+ B4 certification is for road transport, focusing on traceability, audited hygiene protocols and supplier approval.
ISO 22000 is an overarching food safety management system, but you can also use this to ensure the safe delivery of animal feed.
Several regions have feed safety schemes that you also have to be aware of as an exporter, including Brazil’s MAPA rules and EU Feed Hygiene Regulation (EC No. 183/2005).
A transport-focused Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan helps identify critical control points, such as vehicle cleaning, the loading sequence and seal integrity.
Disinfection checkpoints, rodent-proofing and quarantine protocols at border crossings can help further increase animal feed safety through biosecurity.
Choosing between air, sea and road freight depends on the type and volume of feed you’re transporting.
Air freight is the fastest method with transit times of 3–7 days on average. However, air freight is also the most costly of the three shipping methods. Air freight is ideal for high-value or urgent shipments.
Sea freight is a more cost-effective shipping method, especially for bulk cargo. Transporting animal feed via sea freight usually takes 30–45 days, not including lead times and other potential delays.
Road freight is ideal for regional distribution.
Multimodal solutions are ideal in some cases, such as combining sea freight with road freight. Coordinated handoffs help you maintain biosecurity and cold chain standards.
Extreme temperature fluctuations can speed up spoilage and mold growth. Using refrigerated shipping containers can help prevent these extreme temperature changes.
Moisture control methods include breathable liners, desiccant sachets, silica gel packs and moisture-indicator strips. For more robust monitoring and logging, you can use wireless data loggers or time-temperature indicator labels.
Following pre-trip vehicle cleaning protocols is key. Vehicles should be pressure washed, cleaned with disinfectant and allowed to dry. Keep records of pre-trip cleaning and drying times.
Sealed loading bays are an effective pest control measure. You can use rodent traps or fumigation to prepare empty containers.
Common packaging materials for animal feed include multi-layer kraft bags, flexible intermediate bulk containers (FIBCs) and steel silos.
When using wood pallets or other wood packaging, it’s important to use wood that’s debarked, heat-treated and stamped for international use. These are ISMP 15 guidelines.
Batch coding, RFID tags or blockchain-linked records can help you trace each shipment back to the feed mill.
Each batch of animal feed should be tested for moisture, microbial counts, mycotoxins and banned substances. Include a certificate of analysis along with the feed shipment that demonstrates your compliance with destination-country feed additive limits.
Feed moisture levels should stay below 12–14%, which you can achieve via controlled-air drying or dehumidified storage. Desiccants can also help manage moisture levels.
Before shipment, precondition containers in a dry area to minimize moisture uptake.
Documentation is an essential aspect of animal feed transport. Here are the crucial documents you’ll need:
Electronics filing platforms and pre-lodged customs entries can help accelerate the customs clearance process.
During transit, use IoT sensors, cloud dashboards and geofenced alerts to receive real-time updates on your shipment. Geofenced alerts help you identify any route deviations.
Automated alerts can trigger corrective actions before it’s too late, such as diverting to climate-controlled storage to prevent spoilage.
When the shipment arrives at its destination, it’s inspected for seal integrity, weight reconciliations and visual quality. Spot-testing samples on arrival and documenting variances is also a smart plan.
Transit insurance will cover you in the event of loss, damage or contamination claims.
Different countries have different import and export laws. Ignoring country-specific fumigation or heat-treatment requirements can result in delays and shipment refusals.
Packages that aren’t sealed properly or don’t have desiccants are more likely to spoil, and accurate labeling helps you avoid non-conformity risks and penalties.
Temperature, moisture and GPS tracking helps you verify that animal feed was safely transported from the feed production site to the destination. Use advanced logging and monitoring systems to ensure the safety of animal feed.
You can obtain a phytosanitary certificate for feed through the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
Animal feed should be packaged in food-grade packaging with dry silica packets to minimize moisture ingress.
Color-changing indicator strips, time-temperature indicator labels and IoT devices can help you monitor and log temperature and humidity data during shipping.
Several countries have restrictions regarding feed additives, which is why it’s crucial to research local laws before shipping animal feed internationally.
If a feed shipment fails inspection or quarantine, the shipment will be held. In some cases, customs may refuse a shipment that fails inspection or quarantine.
Animal feed transport is essential for livestock everywhere, but it’s important to make sure that feed is being safely transported to reduce the risk of pests and diseases. End-to-end hygiene, including packaging, vehicle prep, documentation and monitoring can help ensure the safe delivery of animal feed.
Complying with global standards and regional rules also helps minimize risks and penalties, protects livestock health and safeguards businesses. Following our step-by-step guide is a simple way to avoid the hassles of animal feed transport.
Sandra Malouf is the President of Eurolog Packing Group and has spent her career focused on Industrial Packaging. With a proven track record of helping businesses avoid supply chain disruptions, Sandra’s visionary leadership elevates the industry. She’s committed to developing sustainable practices and continues to shape the future of industrial packaging by listening to the customer and offering unique solutions applicable to various industries across the world. The company’s main focus is temperature stabilization and moisture damage prevention in exports affected by extreme variations in global temperatures.
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