German Association for Animal Nutrition

What German Association for Animal Nutrition does

German Association for Animal Nutrition (Deutscher Verband Tiernahrung e.V., DVT), founded in 2000 and headquartered in Bonn, is a registered non-profit trade association (eingetragener Verein) representing the German animal feed industry. DVT's member companies manufacture, store, and trade compound feed, mineral feed, individual feeds, premixes, and additives for farm livestock (cattle, pigs, poultry, horses) and companion animals; collectively these members produce roughly 22.5 million tonnes of compound feed and 644,000 tonnes of mineral feed annually across 264 production sites, with North Germany accounting for approximately 73% of national output. DVT functions as the industry's central policy, scientific, and communications body: it is the German member of the European Feed Manufacturers' Federation (FEFAC), co-coordinates the FONEI forum on sustainable protein feeds with DRV, and operates the Henneberg-Lehmann-Preis (since 1957) and DVT-Award programs.

DVT's core technology is not a commercial software product but a set of industry-research and data assets: proprietary studies on nitrogen/ammonia reduction through feed formulation (demonstrating a 22% reduction in nitrogen emissions per kg of pork over 20 years and a projected 47% reduction in broiler nitrogen excretion by 2030 vs. 2000), and an environmental life-cycle-assessment data foundation licensed from the Global Feed LCA Institute (GFLI) in February 2026. Member-facing services include the monthly Fakten-Futter podcast (35+ episodes), the FutterFragen YouTube series, annual reports and position papers, the annual DVT Jahrestagung conference (~300 attendees), regional meetings, and educational outreach through agrarKIDS and the Forum Moderne Landwirtschaft network.

The business model is membership-dues-funded subscription revenue from approximately 264 compound-feed-producing companies plus trading and storage operators; DVT does not sell products or services to end customers and has no publicly disclosed financials. Governance is provided by a President (Cord Schiplage, re-elected 2024) and Vice Presidents drawn from member companies, with day-to-day management led by Managing Directors Dr. Hermann-Josef Baaken, Dr. Michael Lücke, and incoming Dr. Sebastian Schwarz (appointed September 2025). The association is funded solely through industry contributions, positioning DVT as a regulatory and scientific collective rather than a revenue-generating enterprise.

Name

German Association for Animal Nutrition

Legal name

Deutscher Verband Tiernahrung e. V.

Website

https://dvtiernahrung.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The German Association for Animal Nutrition (Deutscher Verband Tiernahrung e.V.) is a Bonn-based trade association representing ~264 German compound feed manufacturers that collectively produce 22.5 million tonnes of feed annually. It provides policy advocacy, sustainability research, and industry communications for the German livestock feed value chain.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal Feed Industry Trade Association

NAICS

Animal Food Manufacturing (3111), Support Activities for Animal Production (115210)

SIC

Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Livestock & Poultry Nutrition (Feed & Premixes) (HLAMAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performance & Health Outcome Consulting (growth, FCR, milk yield, gut health) (AFADAMAG), Animal Nutrition & Feeding Support Services (On-Farm Feeding, Feed Management) (AFAEALAJ)

Keywords

• Compound feed production
• Animal feed manufacturing
• Feed industry association
• Animal nutrition advocacy
• Feed sustainability standards

Headquarters

HQ city

Bonn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: DVT operates as a non-profit trade association (Wirtschaftsverband) funded by annual membership dues from companies manufacturing, storing, and trading compound feed, mineral feed, individual feeds, premixes, and additives for farm and companion animals.

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

DVT is the German independent trade association representing companies that manufacture, store, and trade compound feed (Mischfutter), mineral feed, individual feeds, premixes, and additives for farm and companion animals. Its offering centers on industry-wide representation, policy advocacy at federal and EU level (FEFAC member), scientific research on feed formulation and nitrogen reduction, sustainability frameworks (including a GFLI-licensed LCA data foundation), industry statistics, and member information services such as the Fakten-Futter podcast, FutterFragen video series, position papers, and the annual DVT Jahresbericht.

Product overview

The German Association for Animal Nutrition (Deutscher Verband Tiernahrung e.V. / DVT) is an industry association representing companies that manufacture, store, and trade feedstuffs, premixes, and additives for farm and companion animals. DVT does not offer a commercial software product but provides a range of communication, information, and recognition services including the 'Fakten-Futter' podcast series, the 'FutterFragen' video format on YouTube, annual reports, press releases, and position papers on feed industry topics. The association also administers the DVT-Award and the Henneberg-Lehmann-Preis to recognize contributions to animal nutrition science and the feed industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fakten-Futter Podcast Monthly podcast in German hosted by Dr. Hermann-Josef Baaken and Paula Bukowski covering animal nutrition, agricultural policy, supply security, animal health, sustainability, and the feed industry. Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. Targeted at policymakers, industry stakeholders, and the broader public interested in food and feed topics.
• FutterFragen Video Series Short-form YouTube video series where experts from DVT member companies answer consumer questions on feed and feeding topics such as sustainability, circular economy, and feed science. Targeted at consumers and the broader public for feed-industry transparency.
• DVT-Award Annual award program presented by DVT to recognize individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the German feed industry, with past recipients spanning policymakers (e.g., Werner Schwarz, Franz-Josef Holzenkamp) and long-serving industry figures (e.g., Peter Radewahn).
• Henneberg-Lehmann-Preis (Henneberg-Lehmann Prize) Recognition prize awarded by the Henneberg-Lehmann Foundation, managed by DVT, to recognize outstanding scientific achievements in animal nutrition research. Comprises a main prize for established researchers (e.g., Prof. Dr. Karl-Heinz Südekum, 2023) and Förderpreise for young scientists, with an award tradition dating back to 1957.
• DVT Annual Report (Jahresbericht) Annual DVT publication documenting German feed industry economic data, market conditions, mixed-feed production statistics, quality management research, sustainability activities, and expert interviews. Targeted at DVT member companies, policymakers, and industry stakeholders.
• Press Releases and Position Papers Official DVT press releases and policy position papers covering German and EU feed industry statistics, EU Deforestation Regulation, ammonia/nitrogen reduction policy, sustainability certifications, and agricultural policy positions. Distributed to journalists, member companies, and policymakers.

Quantifiable outcome

• ~22.5 million tonnes of compound feed produced in Germany in 2025; 22.0 million tonnes in 2022; 264 compound feed companies in Germany
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FEFAC (European Feed Manufacturers' Federation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDVT is the German member of FEFAC, the European umbrella organization for compound feed manufacturers. Dr. Anton Einberger served as FEFAC Vice President. Bernd Schmitz (Agravis) succeeded him as FEFAC Vice President in 2023. The partnership involves joint policy positions, European regulatory alignment, and shared sustainability standards.
• DRV (Deutscher Raiffeisenverband)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDVT and DRV jointly publish sustainability reports, position papers, and press releases. Key joint initiatives include the FONEI progress report on sustainable protein feeds, a joint letter to the federal government on energy costs, and collaboration on EU deforestation regulation positioning.
• FONEI (Forum Nachhaltigere Eiweißfuttermittel / Forum for Sustainable Protein Feeds)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDVT and DRV co-coordinate FONEI within the BLE (Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung) framework. FONEI brings together 54 organizations to increase sustainability along the protein feed supply chain. DVT and DRV sit on the steering committee (Lenkungsausschuss).
• GFLI (Global Feed LCA Institute)coreTechnology or IntegrationDVT entered a license agreement with GFLI in February 2026 to establish a new data foundation for environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) in the feed sector, enhancing transparency and comparability of environmental performance data.
• Forum Moderne Landwirtschaft (FML)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerDVT participates in the Forum Moderne Landwirtschaft network alongside 68 member organizations. DVT member companies (BEWITAL agri, ETS Mischfutterwerk, ForFarmers, GSagri) join the annual 'Grüne Berufe für einen Tag' public outreach action day.
• QS Qualität und Sicherheit GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDVT links to QS Qualität und Sicherheit GmbH on its website as a resource for feed quality and safety assurance, a key quality assurance system for the German food and feed chain.
• Grain Club (Verbändegemeinschaft Neue Genomische Techniken)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDVT is part of the Grain Club, a coalition of 22 associations from agriculture, horticulture, and food industries advocating for new genomic techniques (NGT) in plant breeding. Jointly published position papers for the new federal government.
• agrarKIDSminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDVT contributes content to agrarKIDS, a children's magazine (ages 5-13) distributed to elementary schools, explaining nutrient cycles and the role of animal nutrition in agriculture and food production.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AFIA (American Feed Industry Association): U.S. national trade association for the feed industry, comparable in mission (representation, sustainability, regulatory advocacy) and structure (membership dues, scientific awards) to DVT, but operating in the North American regulatory environment.
• FEFAC (European Feed Manufacturers' Federation): European umbrella organization for compound feed manufacturers, of which DVT is the German national member. Directly comparable as a feed-industry trade association operating at EU level with policy advocacy, sustainability standards, and statistical reporting functions parallel to DVT's national role.
• IFIF (International Feed Industry Federation): Global feed industry federation coordinating national associations worldwide. Comparable to DVT's role as the German national voice within global feed policy and sustainability frameworks (e.g., GFLI-aligned LCA work).

Others

• QS Qualität und Sicherheit GmbH: Germany's leading cross-stage quality assurance system for food and feed, cited as a resource on DVT's website. Adjacent peer providing complementary feed-safety certification infrastructure that DVT's members rely on for market access.
• DRV (Deutscher Raiffeisenverband): German umbrella association for Raiffeisen cooperatives, a core strategic partner of DVT in protein-feed sustainability (FONEI), deforestation regulation positioning, and joint industry statistics. Comparable in domestic German agricultural advocacy and partnership-tier.
• Grain Club: German coalition of 22 agricultural, horticultural, and food industry associations including DVT, jointly advocating on new genomic techniques (NGT) and plant breeding policy. Adjacent peer as a partner coalition with overlapping regulatory interests.
• Forum Moderne Landwirtschaft (FML): German communications network of 68 agricultural organizations including DVT, coordinating public outreach campaigns like 'Grüne Berufe für einen Tag.' Adjacent peer with shared public-affairs and industry-image mandate.

Regional players

• AIC (Agricultural Industries Confederation, UK): UK trade association for the agrisupply industry including animal feed manufacturing, paralleling DVT's role in Germany. Comparable in offering policy representation, technical guidance, and sustainability frameworks to feed manufacturers.
• SNIA (Syndicat National de l'Industrie de la Nutrition Animale): French national feed industry trade association, comparable in scope and member profile to DVT, serving French compound feed and premix manufacturers with regulatory and sustainability advocacy functions.
• Nevedi (Netherlands feed association): Dutch national feed industry association, structurally and functionally analogous to DVT, representing Dutch compound feed manufacturers with similar sustainability, regulatory, and statistical mandates. Regional peer serving a comparable but different national market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCFz1ftvK5jImehb2_fIwAmQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/DVTiernahrung
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/deutscher-verband-tiernahrung-e-v-
• Xx.com/DVTVerband

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about German Association for Animal Nutrition