Feed Efficiency and the Circular Use of Local Resources in Sustainable Animal Production: Perspectives on Precision Nutrition, Animal Health, and Product Quality

Abstract

Feed is the principal input in animal production because it accounts for the largest share of production costs and largely determines the environmental burden of the system. This review evaluates feed efficiency and the circular use of local resources in sustainable animal production from the perspectives of precision feeding, animal health, and product quality. Sustainable feed efficiency should not be interpreted merely as improving feed conversion ratio; it also encompasses reducing nutrient losses, safely integrating local and alternative resources into rations, using processing technologies appropriately, and continuously updating ration management through animal-based monitoring data. Local legumes, agro-industrial by-products, pasture-based resources, and biomass recoverable from the food chain have substantial potential to reduce external dependence and increase the resilience of production systems. However, this potential can only be realized when variability in chemical composition, storage-related risks, and antinutritional factors are managed through appropriate processing and regular analyses. Precision feeding systems, rumination monitoring, metabolic profiling, and product quality indicators make it possible to track the real sustainability outcomes of feed management. In conclusion, feed efficiency in sustainable animal production is not a narrow cost-reduction strategy but a holistic management framework that reduces environmental load, protects animal health and welfare, supports product quality, and reintegrates local resources into the production cycle.