Fastmarkets has reported routinely over the last five years about the lack of approvals for feeding hempseed to livestock. Hempseed is in a unique position compared with other feed ingredients, in that there has been no impetus over preceding decades to seek approvals for hempseed or derivatives in commercial feeds.

Meanwhile, sales of hempseed products for humans have grown steadily in recent years. Irony does not influence policy, and hempseed operators have for years had to find creative outlets for the residual hempseed meal after crushing for oil.   

Yesterday, the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) voted at their annual meeting to approve hempseed in laying hen rations, categorized as a “tentative ingredient definition”.

The approval comes at a unique juncture for AAFCO and the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVA), whose memorandum of understanding (MOU) is…