Saturday, 21 June 2025
The Hemp Feed Coalition (HFC) has recently announced the first submission for hemp to become an approved animal feed ingredient has been put forward for consideration by the Association of American Feed Control Officials and the US Food and Drug Association- Center for Veterinary Medicine (FDA-CVM).
Once approved, this ingredient application will allow hemp seed meal and cake to be legally used as commercial feed for laying hens. Led by Coalition leadership, hemp and feed industry experts, and researchers; the submission is a culmination of a two-year long effort, consisting of an ingredient investigation of hemp seedcake and meal and a clinical trial to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of hemp for laying hens.
The HFC will turn its focus to research on other hemp by-products: oil, sediment, hulls, pulp and screenings to investigate their benefit and safety as feed ingredients. In addition, this work will include the clinical trials necessary to add ruminates to the hempseed meal application that was submitted. “Opening new markets is our secondary mission,” said Hunter Buffington, Executive Director of the HFC.
The HFC will be leading those efforts by bringing researchers, hemp and feed industry experts and coalition advisors together for additional applications and Federal regulatory approval for new hemp ingredients as feed for animals.
The Hemp Feed Coalition (HFC) began in 2018 as a pilot project under the Colorado Hemp Industries Association (COHIA) before forming its own non-profit organization in 2020. The HFC intends to continue its mission to gain federal approval for additional hemp by-products as commercial animal feed.
