Global animal protein supply is large, and the total keeps growing. Global feed production reached about 1.44 billion tonnes in 2025, and Asia made up roughly 559 million tonnes (Alltech, via MANTA Industry Report 2026-2030). Marine ingredients added around 5.5 million tonnes of fishmeal and 1.3 million tonnes of fish oil in 2024, with a growing share now coming from processing by-products (IFFO).
A large total says little about what a single buyer can use. A feed mill can sit in a market full of supply and still spend weeks looking for a lot that fits its recipe, is allowed into the destination country, and arrives in good condition. The reason is not the total volume. It comes down to five things that decide whether a lot works for a specific buyer.
Five things that shape animal protein supply
1. Plant. The company on a shipping document is not always the factory that made the material. A name on a shipping document tells you who to pay, not who made the goods. Product from different plants under the same brand can differ in quality and process, so a decision that follows the producing plant is usually more reliable when you buy again and again.
2. Species. Animal protein is a group, not a single product. Poultry meal, meat and bone meal, hydrolysed feather meal, blood products and marine meals differ in how well animals digest them, in how regulators treat them, and in where they fit – livestock feed, aqua feed or pet food. Knowing the exact species content changes both the feeding value and the paperwork.
3. Approval. A product is only real to a buyer if it is allowed into the destination market. Approval depends on the country, the plant and the species, and it can change on its own, apart from price or availability. When it changes, an origin that looked plentiful can stop being an option for that market.
4. Specification. Ash, digestibility, freshness and traceability decide whether a poultry meal suits shrimp and marine fish diets, or whether a material is good enough for pet food. These do not show up in the headline protein figure, so two lots quoted at the same protein level can behave very differently.
5. Timing. Marine supply moves with the Peruvian fishing season and ocean conditions. Rendered supply follows how many animals are slaughtered. Animal fats get pulled toward biofuel demand, and grain prices change how much plant protein replaces animal protein. A lot that is easy to buy in a loose market is often the one you cannot get when supply tightens, so buying some volume ahead is part of the decision, not a separate step.
Why animal protein supply stays uneven in 2026-2030
Asia is expected to drive most of the growth in feed and aqua feed demand for the rest of the decade (OECD-FAO; Alltech). Over the same years, import rules are being rewritten, animal-disease events keep changing which origins can serve which markets, and marine output stays uneven – fishmeal production reported by IFFO members in the first quarter of 2026 was about 28% lower than a year earlier (IFFO, 2026). In our view, the buyers and suppliers who handle this well are the ones who work at the level of plant, species, approval, specification and timing, not at the level of a single spot price.
MANTA keeps these five points in mind when it helps coordinate trades in animal proteins and feed-related ingredients, from the first message through documentation and logistics follow-up. It is also how we brief the buyers and suppliers we work with.
If you are a buyer who needs steady supply, or a producer trying to reach buyers in the right markets, we are glad to talk it through.
The volume figures are sourced facts; the reading of what they mean for 2026-2030 is MANTA’s view, not investment, legal or trade advice.