Description

Growing concerns worldwide over Antibiotic Growth Promoters (AGPs) in animal nutrition has resulted in efforts to use alternative ingredients that can effectively replace AGPs; phytogenics being one such alternative. Phytogenics are a new and exciting group of feed additives, comprising a wide range of substances that are classified according to botanical origin, processing, and composition. Growth of the phytogenics industry is facilitated by the rising number of countries outside of the European Union restricting or banning the use of AGPs in animal feed (e.g., China, Brazil, the US) in response to rising consumer concerns over their safety. Additionally, growth of the phytogenics industry, which currently stands at $351.9 million globally, is aided by a growing demographic of consumers who favor the use of natural, organic and sustainable feed additives. However, the lack of standardization in the industry and the availability of phytogenics via more traditional routes of supply hinder the growth of the industry. As a result, individual manufacturers offer their own version of processed herbals as phytogenic feed additives. This restraint is expected to have a high impact over the course of the forecast period.

Europe, with a 50 percent share of the total market, is the largest market for animal feed phytogenics worldwide. Growth in this market has been largely driven by the ban imposed by the European Food Safety Authority on AGPs. North America is the second largest market for animal feed phytogenics and currently holds 30 percent of the market share. Rising awareness of the positive health benefits associated with using phytogenic additives has contributed to the growth in this market. Growth within Asia Pacific and other regions of the world is relatively nascent and will be driven by increased understanding by farmers of phytogenics and their applications in animal feed.

The top three participants accounted for 42 percent of the total market revenue. Biomin has a global presence, which helps consumers identify a wide range of ingredients and the quality of feed additives. Delacon has a global presence as well, and offers a range of products for various animal species. Furthermore, it produces microencapsulated essential oils of multiple herbs. All participants are keen to increase their market share in conditions where differentiating their offerings is difficult. The marketing effort as such is based on a company's reputation and an individual farmer being convinced about the efficacy of its product. Further, given there are no claimed returns on investment in using oregano and the lack of any research publication, the claims of manufacturers cannot be validated.