The starter feed market comprises products such as concentrates, grains, and fodder that are specifically designed to meet the nutritional needs of young animals or pets. Starter feed provides crucial macro and micronutrients to support early growth and development. It helps baby cattle, poultry, and other livestock transition from milk to solid feed smoothly. With advantages like reduced mortality rate and improved feed efficiency, starter feed is gaining acceptance among farmers globally.

The Global Starter Feed Market is estimated to be valued at US$ 46.55 Bn in 2024 and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 8.2% over the forecast period 2024 to 2031.

Key Takeaways

Key players operating in the starter feed market are Waters Corporation, PerkinElmer Inc., LabWare Inc., LabVantage Solutions Inc., LabLynx Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Mckesson Corporation, Cerner Corporation, Agilent Technologies, and Abbott Laboratories (Abbott Informatics Corporation), among others.

The rising meat consumption coupled with a growing population is fueling the demand for starter feed products. Several farmers are adopting precision feeding practices and using customized starter formulations to boost production efficiency and maximize profits. Starter feed ensures calves, piglets, and chicks receive optimum nutrition to prevent early health issues and mortality.

North American and European manufacturers are expanding to emerging economies in Asia Pacific and Latin America to tap the rising demand from multi-national agriculture companies. Countries like India, Brazil, and Indonesia are witnessing significant investments in livestock infrastructure and modernization of farming techniques. This provides growth opportunities for starter feed producers globally.

Market key trends

The increasing popularity of all-natural and organic Starter Feed Market Demand presents a major trend in the market. Consumers are willing to pay extra for feed products containing no antibiotics, growth promoters, or GMOs. Producers are launching clean-label starter feeds made from simple, natural ingredients to cater to this demand. For example, Hylife Hatchery has developed an organic chick starter feed containing flax, lentils, split peas, and canola to support early gut health naturally. The shift towards sustainable farming practices is expected to further propel the demand for natural starter feeds over the forecast period.

Porter’s Analysis

Threat of new entrants: High capital requirements pose a significant barrier to entry in the starter feed market.

Bargaining power of buyers: The presence of several large buyers in the animal feed industry results in increased bargaining power of buyers.

Bargaining power of suppliers: There are many raw material suppliers for starter feed, so suppliers face less bargaining power.

Threat of new substitutes: Limited threat of substitutes as no direct substitute for starter feed currently exists.

Competitive rivalry: Competition in the starter feed market is intense due to presence of many large and medium sized feed producers.

The North American region dominated the global starter feed market in terms of value in 2024, and is estimated to maintain its dominance during the forecast period. This is attributed to the well-established animal feed industry and high demand for animal protein in countries such as the US and Canada in the region. The Asia Pacific region is projected to be the fastest growing market for starter feed during the period of 2024 to 2031. This is attributed to the growing meat consumption and increasing focus of feed producers on research & development of new feed products in developing countries such as China and India in the region.

Geographical Regions

The European region accounted for significant share in terms of value of the global starter feed market in 2024. Countries including Germany, Spain, France, UK, and Italy contributed majorly to the Europe starter feed market size in 2024, owing to presence of large poultry and livestock industries. Rapid growth of organized farming and animal husbandry practices have augmented the demand for high-quality starter feed in Europe.

*Note:
1.  Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
2. We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it