Industrial hemp is legal, but federal regulations do not allow hemp in food products for animal consumption.
Feeding livestock byproducts of hemp production can reduce stress and infection as well as methane generation.
Research is mixed on the amount of cannabinoids in animal food products for human consumption.
Hemp and marijuana come from the same plant species: Cannabis sativa L (Protti et al. 2019). The plant contains various chemicals collectively referred to as cannabinoids, including cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Variants of THC include the psychoactive chemical delta-9 THC (Δ9-THC).
In the U.S., hemp and marijuana are legally distinct based on their THC content. Marijuana contains more than 0.3% by weight of Δ-9 THC and is federally illegal (21 U.S. Code §802). Industrial hemp contains less than 0.3% by weight of Δ-9 THC and was legalized federally in 2018 (Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018). By November 2026, hemp products must contain less than 0.3% by weight of all THC compounds and cannot contain more than 0.4 mg of THC compounds per container (7 U.S. Code §1639o). Legal hemp producers can participate in the Federal Crop Insurance Program (FCIP), which provides farmers with financial protection from natural disasters and changes in crop prices (U.S. Department of Agriculture Risk Management Agency 2024, Johnson 2021).
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved any use of hemp in animal food (Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 2022). Hemp processing creates byproducts including hemp seed and hemp biomass, which have high fiber, fatty acid, and protein content (Irawan et al. 2025, Figure 1). Researchers have identified seed cake, oil, leaves, and flowers from hemp as potential ingredients for livestock feed (Mohamed et al. 2024, Kleinhenz et al. 2020).
The FDA does not have sufficient data to determine the safety of hemp-derived ingredients in animal feed (Johnson 2023, FDA 2018). In January 2023, the FDA referred the issue of regulating CBD in all food and supplement products for both humans and animals to Congress, stating the existing regulatory frameworks were not appropriate (Johnson 2023).
Hemp can reduce stress, infection, and liver damage in livestock. Hemp can lower the amount of methane produced by cattle and swine during digestion (Hăbeanu et al. 2022, Baldini et al. 2020). Cattle that ate feed containing hemp spent more time resting and had lower amounts of cortisol, stress, and inflammation (Kleinhenz et al. 2022). Lactating pigs that consumed hemp seed oil increased their milk yield, while their suckling piglets had lower rates of diarrhea, reducing the spread of infection (Hăbeanu et al. 2022). In poultry, laying hens that ate hemp seed and hemp oil had lower levels of enzymes associated with liver damage (Neijat et al. 2014).
Research is mixed on whether hemp in livestock feed affects cannabinoid levels in animal products. The acute reference dose (ARfD) is the maximum amount of a substance a person can consume in one day without a detectable health risk (German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment n.d.). A study of cattle that were fed hempseed cake detected CBD and THC in their fat tissue but not in their liver, kidney, or muscle (Smith et al. 2023). Based on typical human consumption of beef, these concentrations would not exceed the ARfD for either CBD or THC. Milk from dairy cows that were fed a mix of hemp flowers, leaves, and seeds had concentrations of Δ9-THC that exceeded the ARfD for several population groups (Wagner 2022). No detectable amounts of THC in edible tissue were found in poultry that were fed mixtures of hemp seed and oil (Rasool 2018). There is little data on the amount of THC in eggs from poultry that are fed hemp products (Mohamed & House 2024).
Figure 1. Uses of hemp and byproducts that can be used for livestock feed. Various parts of the hemp plant are extracted for commercial use, leaving byproducts that can be used for livestock consumption. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved any use of hemp in animal food. Preliminary research shows reduced stress, rates of infection, and liver damage in livestock fed hemp byproducts, with mixed results on the transfer of cannabinoids to food products like beef and milk. Figure adapted from Irawan et al. 2025.
References:
7 U.S.C. Chapter 38 §1639o (2025) https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title7/chapter38/subchapter7&edition=prelim
21 U.S.C. Chapter 13 §802 (2025) https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title21/chapter13/subchapter1&edition=prelim
Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, H.R. 2. 115th Congress. (2018) https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/2
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