Dairy cows satisfy sweet tooth with waste chocolate

(CBC News) -- Unused chocolate is among the leftover ingredients included in a novel livestock mix from Nova Scotia.

At his feed company in Truro, Ian MacHattie uses byproducts or leftovers from the food and beverage industry to sweeten feed for livestock.

"I worked in Holland about 20 years ago on a farm," said MacHattie. "Even at that time in Holland every ingredient we fed cows was byproduct, whether it was tapioca hulls, or carrot peelings or [waste] from breweries."

The chocolate and candies go into a chopper, where they're mixed with other byproducts, such as barley and wheat dust.

The recycled blend offers farmers a cheaper alternative to traditional grain feeds, MacHattie said.

The chocolate replaces sugar found in other grains, said Willem Hild, who owns 400 dairy cattle in Hants County.

"They love it," he said. "If a bit falls on the floor, they want to go after it."

Using the byproducts saves about $60,000 to $70,000 a year, he added.

The mix also helps the environment. Last year, 3,200 tonnes of organic waste were diverted from the dump, MacHattie said.