Advancing the Pet Food Industry... Ministry of Agriculture to Establish "Pet Food Industrialization Center"

The government has decided to invest 20 billion won by 2030 to establish a Pet Food Industrialization Center in order to advance the pet food industry.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on February 8 that it will launch, starting on February 9, a public call for proposals from metropolitan local governments to host the Pet Food Industrialization Center.

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An official from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs explained, "With the recent increase in households raising companion animals, the pet food market is growing rapidly, and demand is steadily expanding for strengthened safety and nutritional standards, as well as for premium products. In response, the ministry plans to build a clustered infrastructure that can support the entire cycle of companion animal feed, from research and development to manufacturing and commercialization."

The Pet Food Industrialization Center to be established this time will be developed as an integrated support hub equipped with: research and development (R&D) facilities for discovering new ingredients and developing formulations; a database (DB) to support feed development and manufacturing based on companion animal data; and feed manufacturing infrastructure such as pilot-scale production facilities. Through this, it is expected to provide step-by-step support for small and startup companies, from product development and validation to prototype production and mass production.

The project will run for five years from 2026 to 2030 with a total budget of 20 billion won (7.5 billion won in national funding and 12.5 billion won in local funding). One site will be selected through the public call. Local governments wishing to participate may apply by designating a site for the facilities and an operating institution. After selection, the project will proceed with establishing the master plan, detailed design, construction, and equipment installation, with full-scale operations scheduled to begin in 2030.

Joo Woncheol, Director General of the Animal Welfare Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said, "The Pet Food Industrialization Center will serve as a hub that systematically supports the entire cycle from research and development to manufacturing and commercialization, and it is a key foundation for fostering the companion animal feed industry into a high value-added industry. We will actively support the industry so that domestic companies can enhance their technological competitiveness and quality reliability, expand their presence in the domestic market, and help the companion animal feed industry take off as a new growth export industry."

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