Morocco explores hemp poultry feed as next test of national cannabis framework

Morocco’s national government has launched a 10-month study to assess whether hemp can be used in animal feed, signaling a possible expansion of permitted downstream applications under the country’s regulated cannabis framework.

The study is being conducted by the National Agency for the Regulation of Cannabis-Related Activities (ANRAC), which oversees the country’s legal cannabis framework. The agency’s mandate covers cannabis cultivation and processing authorized for medical, cosmetic and industrial uses at the national level.

Regulatory setting

Morocco’s current cannabis system stems from reforms adopted in 2021 and implemented in 2022, which legalized cannabis for specific non-recreational uses under state control. Hemp is not regulated through a standalone industrial hemp statute but is folded into the broader cannabis framework, a structure that has favored medical cannabis over industrial and agricultural uses.

The animal feed study does not change that legal structure. It is a research initiative only, intended to inform regulators before any commercial authorization is considered.

Feed focus

According to Moroccan authorities, the study’s primary objective is to develop a hemp-based feed formulation for poultry. Officials are also examining whether hemp feed could serve as an alternative to growth-stimulating antibiotics, an issue with commercial relevance for producers facing tighter controls on antibiotic use.

Hemp seed meal, the byproduct remaining after oil extraction for food markets, is high in protein and fats. From a business standpoint, feed applications could improve processing economics by creating value for material that is otherwise sold at low margins or treated as waste.

Commercial limits

Regulatory uncertainty remains the central constraint. Moroccan authorities have not published proposed thresholds for THC residues in animal products, nor clarified how feed approvals would interact with food safety rules governing meat and eggs.

These unanswered questions mirror challenges seen in other jurisdictions, where concerns about trace cannabinoids entering the food chain have slowed adoption of hemp feed even when nutritional benefits are recognized.

Historical backdrop

Cannabis has been cultivated in Morocco for centuries, particularly in the Rif region. It was criminalized following independence in 1956, with prohibition reinforced by a nationwide drug ban in 1974. Despite that, Morocco remained one of the world’s largest cannabis suppliers as recently as 2024.

The current legal framework is designed to transition cultivation into licensed, state-supervised channels. Whether animal feed becomes part of that system will depend on the outcome of the study and on regulators’ willingness to set clear, enforceable standards for cannabinoid residues.

Status elsewhere

Hemp seed meal last year cleared key U.S. regulatory hurdles toward use in feed for laying hens. In 2024, the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) adopted a formal ingredient definition for hemp seed meal for laying hens, a milestone that allows states to begin permitting its sale and use as a protein and fat source under defined conditions.

Following that listing, at least one U.S. state — Minnesota — has approved hemp seed meal for laying hens, limiting it to no more than 20% of the birds’ diet as a source of energy and nutrients and marking one of the first commercial feed authorizations.

The regulatory status of hemp-derived materials for animal feed in the European Union remains unresolved. Industry stakeholders have advocated for clearer rules on hemp ingredients under EU feed law, but formal authorization pathways for hemp processing residues and seed meal have not yet been established across the bloc.