Blood Meal - Wikipedia

Powder made from blood This article is about the soil fertilizer. For animals that feed on blood, see hematophagy.

Blood meal is a dry, inert powder made from blood, used as a high-nitrogen organic fertilizer and a high protein animal feed. By weight, it is generally 12% nitrogen with trace amounts (≤1%) of phosphorus and potassium.[1] It is one of the highest non-synthetic sources of nitrogen. It usually comes from cattle or hogs as a slaughterhouse by-product.

Uses

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Dietary supplement

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Blood meal can be used as a livestock dietary supplement and is mainly added to supply dietary lysine for cattle, fish and poultry.[2] Prior to use, it is sometimes mixed with molasses.[3]

Feeding blood products to ruminants (such as cattle and sheep) is illegal in the United Kingdom[4] and European Union,[5] in part due to the risk posed by transmissible spongiform encephalopathies.

Organic fertilizers

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Blood meal, bone meal, and other animal by-products are permitted in certified organic production as soil amendments, though they cannot be fed to organic livestock. Blood meal is different from bone meal in that blood meal contains a higher amount of nitrogen, while bone meal contains phosphorus. Alternatives to blood meal include feather meal and alfalfa meal.[6] Blood meal is sometimes used as a composting activator.[7]

Pest control

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Blood meal can be spread on gardens to deter pest animals such as rabbits. The theory is that the animals smell the blood and are repelled by the odor.[8][9]

Classifications

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• It is a proteinaceous concentrate according to classifications of feed.
• It is a protein-yielding feedstuff according to classifications of feedstuffs.

Processing

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Blood needs to be dried before being used as blood meal. Several drying methods are available: solar drying, oven drying, drum drying, flash drying or spray drying.[10]

Blood meal is sometimes made from fish (this type of blood meal is categorized as a type of fish meal), mixed with bone meal (often branded as bone + blood meal), and other types. These types depend on the source and processing of the blood meal.

See also

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• Blood as food
• Bone ash
• Bone meal
• Hydroponics § Organic hydroponic solutions
• Taboo food

References

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1. ^ Hughes, Megan (30 April 2024). "What to Know About Blood Meal vs. Bone Meal for Fertilizing Plants". Better Homes & Gardens. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
2. ^ Henry, William Arnon; Morrison, Frank Barron (1915). Feeds and feeding: a hand-book for the student and stockman. Henry-Morrison. p. 184.
3. ^ King'ori, A. M.; Tuitoek, J. K.; Muiruri, H. K. (1998). "Comparison of fermented dried blood meal and cooked dried blood meal as protein supplements for growing pigs". Tropical Animal Health and Production. 30 (3): 191–196. doi:10.1023/a:1005015804804. PMID 9719848. S2CID 28241258.
4. ^ Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs; Animal and Plant Health Agency (14 January 2019). "Guidance: Supplying and using animal by-products as farm animal feed". GOV.UK. Retrieved 24 December 2025. You can only feed these ABPs to non-ruminants (animals that do not chew the cud): ... blood products
5. ^ "Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 May 2001 laying down rules for the prevention, control and eradication of certain transmissible spongiform encephalopathies". EUR-Lex. 12 March 2025. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
6. ^ "Using Blood Meal To Improve Your Garden Soil".
7. ^ "Composting For The Home Owner - Materials". University of Illinois Extension. Archived from the original on 3 September 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
8. ^ Bradley, Fern Marshall; Ellis, Barbara W. (1997). Review: Rodale's All-New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening: The Indispensable Resource for Every Gardener. Rodale Press. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-87596-743-1.
9. ^ Poisson, Leandre; Vogel Poisson, Gretchen (1994). Solar gardening: growing vegetables year-round the American intensive way. Chelsea Green Publishing. p. 103. ISBN 978-0-930031-69-5.
10. ^ Heuzé V., Tran G., 2016. Blood meal. Feedipedia, a programme by INRA, CIRAD, AFZ and FAO. https://www.feedipedia.org/node/221 Last updated on March 31, 2016, 10:31