A hemp health product manufacturer who had to discard 25 tonnes of hemp meal and seed hulls that could have been used as animal feed says restrictive regulations are to blame.
The Brothers Green co-founder Brad Lake posted a video on Instagram showing two truckloads of hemp meal destined to be discarded, and said regulatory restrictions are creating red tape for manufacturers and growers.
Lake said he understands the need for caution when feeding hemp products to animals whose meat or milk are destined for export markets, but there needs to be a distinction in the law that allows it to be fed to domestic livestock or to be used in the pet food market.
“We still have more to discard, we’re constantly processing so it’s building up all the time,” he said.
“Without a viable legal way to get rid of it, it’s just fit for composting.
“We’ve had farmers who were told they’re not allowed to spread it on paddocks where animals are grazing.”
As compost, hemp meal and shells have no value, with farmers only willing to cover transport costs, he said.
As a feed additive he believes it is worth at least $1 per kilogram.
Hemp meal and shells contain about 18% proteins, along with magnesium, iron, zinc and fatty oil.
Overseas studies showed it has nutritional value for animals, he said.
The Brothers Green contracts the growing of about 25 hectares to Canterbury growers every year.
“You’ve got to have a licence to grow. To classify as hemp, THC content needs to be below 0.3% THC. Most of our hemp tests to about 0.15% THC content.”
THC is the main active ingredient in cannabis.
Lake said the hemp industry is a startup industry and regulations create red tape that stops it from reaching its full potential.
Selling byproduct into the animal feed market is a low-hanging fruit that could benefit both buyers and sellers, he said.
Co-founder of The Brothers Green Brad Lake in a video on Instagram showing the 25 tonnes of hemp meal and seed hulls he has to discard. ‘The government won’t let us feed it to animals because they think they’ll get high,’ he says in the video.
New Zealand Food Safety deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle said the Ministry for Primary Industries’ New Zealand Food Safety business unit is responsible for regulating the use of hemp or hemp-derived substances in human food and animal feed.
Hemp or hemp-derived substances used in animal feed are not permitted without approval under the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Act 1997.
“So far, no companies, including The Brothers Green, have applied to use hemp by-products in animal feed,” Arbuckle said.
Regulation is important because hemp contains small amounts of THC and CBD, which are both controlled substances under New Zealand law.
THC and CBD pose a potential risk to food safety and suitability, and to animal welfare because the effects of exposing food-producing animals to these compounds has not been fully investigated, he said.
There is also a risk to New Zealand’s trade in animal products where THC and CBD are concerned.
These compounds will be absorbed by the animal and may be present in their meat and milk, Arbuckle said.
Therefore, any export of animal products with THC or CBD in them would present a significant risk to New Zealand’s reputation and trade.
In response to the MPI, Lake said he was not aware that he could apply for an exemption.
The law needs to be reviewed so growers or manufacturers need not apply every time they wanted to sell byproduct, he said.
“How many companies have to apply before they consider a regulatory change? It’s restrictive,” Lake said.
