Canola Meal as a Protein Source for Lactating Dairy Cows

Canola is an offspring of rapeseed (Brassica napus and Brassica campestris/rapa), which was bred through standard plant breeding techniques to have low levels of erucic acid and glucosinolates. Canola seed is rich in oil, and after oil extraction, the remaining “canola meal” (CM), is a rich protein source used as feedstock to different animal species, mainly dairy cows in North America and in Europe (Canola Meal Feed Guide, 2015). Glucosinolates and erucic acid were reduced in rapeseed due to their toxicity, which may negatively affect digestion and health of most animals when fed in high levels (Kramer et al., 1990; Mawson et al., 1994). Over the past 25 years canola production in Canada has grown from approximately 3 million tons to about 17 million tons (Cliff Jamieson, 2015). Due to increased availability of canola oil, its by-product, CM, has become a viable protein source to dairy cow diets (Martineau et al., 2013).