The importance of dietary fibre in rumen buffering has long been overlooked, despite the realisation that the primary mechanism to achieve maximum ruminant production is by the maintenance of a rumen pH suitable for microbial digestion and growth. It has been demonstrated that the rumen pH following cereal based supplementation is depressed to a far greater degree than when the concentrate supplement is non-cereal based (Rymer, 1986).

Two trials are reported, firstly in which silage fed to finishing lambs was supplemented with either dried molassed sugar beet pulp, a source of highly digestible fibre and low in starch; whole barley (55.6% of D.M. content as starch, (British Sugar, 1986)); or a commercial lamb creep pellet and secondly in which silage plus dried molassed sugar beet pulp was supplemented with undegradeable protein or not.