GRDC report on lupin as feed source

It is estimated about half of Western Australia’s lupin grain production is retained on-farm for use as stock feed and planting seed.

Lupin growers also trade grain on the domestic and export markets to supply the stock feed manufacturing sector. The bulk of this is used for feed destined for ruminants (cows and sheep), followed by monogastrics (pigs and poultry).

There is growing interest in lupin grain for use by the WA dairy sector and a small, but increasing, use in aquaculture industries.

Lupin grain is a highly suitable feed for ruminants, as it is a relatively low-cost, high-protein and high-energy product with virtually no starch.

Composition of carbohydrates in lupin seed make it more suited to fermentative digestion in ruminants than to monogastric intestinal hydrolysis.

This means the energy value of lupin for ruminants is roughly equivalent to that of cereals, but for pigs, lupin grain is discounted by the proportion of energy recovered.

For poultry, the energy value of lupin is significantly compromised by the lack of any effective fermentative function within the avian stomach.

Find out more about this report from GRDC below