EU Tightens Animal Feed Safety Rules for Market Access

Imagine this scenario: carefully selected animal feed, meant to nourish livestock, instead causes health problems due to unknown ingredients or illegal additives. This isn't alarmist speculation but a real challenge in animal feed regulation. How can we ensure the safety of what animals consume and protect the healthy development of livestock farming? This article examines the European Union and Dutch regulations governing animal feed ingredients, formulations, and market access.

Under EU regulations, feed ingredients are defined as products of plant or animal origin primarily used to meet animals' nutritional needs through oral feeding. These ingredients form the basis of animal feed formulations, with their quality and compliance directly impacting animal health and productivity.

The European Commission's Regulation 767/2009/EC (referred to as the "Market Regulation") serves as the core legislation governing the marketing and use of feed ingredients and compound feed. This regulation aims to ensure the safety, efficacy, and traceability of feed products, thereby protecting animal health, human health, and the environment.

Key provisions of the regulation include:

• Feed labeling requirements: Specifies mandatory label content including ingredients, nutritional information, usage instructions, and manufacturer details to ensure consumer transparency.
• Feed additive management: Implements strict controls on feed additive use to guarantee safety and effectiveness while preventing misuse.
• Feed contaminant control: Establishes maximum limits for various contaminants in feed to protect animal and human health.
• Feed traceability systems: Requires comprehensive traceability systems to quickly identify sources of any problems that may arise.

In the Netherlands, the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) oversees implementation of the Market Regulation. Through regular inspections, sampling tests, and risk assessments, NVWA ensures feed product compliance and imposes penalties for violations.

The European Commission's Regulation 68/2013/EC (known as the "Feed Materials Catalogue") enumerates approved ingredients for animal feed. Only materials listed in this catalogue may be legally marketed and used within the EU.

For feed materials not listed in the catalogue, registration in the "Feed Materials Register" is required. This register is managed by representatives of Europe's animal feed industry. Importantly, inclusion in this register doesn't confer legal status. Once a feed material is added to the official catalogue, it's removed from the register.

Compound feed consists of at least two feed materials, with or without additives. It's categorized as either complete feed or complementary feed:

• Complete feed: Meets all nutritional requirements of animals.
• Complementary feed: Must be combined with other feed to satisfy animals' nutritional needs.

The Market Regulation applies equally to compound feed. Manufacturers must ensure their products meet quality standards and labeling requirements.

In the Netherlands, all companies involved in producing, processing, storing, transporting, or selling animal feed must register with NVWA. Businesses with additional food safety risks require certification.

Despite its relatively comprehensive system, EU feed regulation faces several challenges:

• Novel feed materials: Technological advances introduce new feed ingredients requiring safety evaluation and regulatory frameworks.
• Feed fraud: Adulteration and counterfeit practices pose risks to animal and human health.
• Cross-border oversight: Frequent intra-EU feed trade necessitates strengthened cooperation to prevent non-compliant products from entering markets.

To address these issues, the EU continues refining its regulatory system through enhanced risk assessment, stricter enforcement, and international collaboration. Future regulations will emphasize prevention, risk management, and transparency to ensure feed safety and sustainability.

For animal feed producers, compliance is fundamental to operations. Key recommendations include:

• Maintain current knowledge of EU and Dutch feed regulations to ensure product compliance.
• Implement comprehensive quality management systems covering procurement through sales.
• Conduct regular risk assessments to identify and control potential hazards.
• Provide staff training on regulations and quality standards to enhance compliance awareness.
• Maintain open communication with regulatory authorities like NVWA regarding requirements and updates.

These measures help businesses mitigate compliance risks, enhance competitiveness, and achieve sustainable growth.