December 2009 update on the Animal Nutrition Section of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health

Feed additives
Votes were taken on three Commission proposals to provide new or amended authorisations for feed additives. All of these proposed regulations were given a qualified majority vote in favour.

Use of formaldehyde to produce ‘rumen bypass’ feeds
Member States and the Commission discussed the use of formaldehyde to treat feed components (such as urea) in order to produce ‘rumen bypass’ products. The committee was unable to reach a view on the legal status of formaldehyde when used for this purpose. It was agreed that Member States would contact their feed stakeholders for further information to help inform further discussions.

• Industry stakeholders are kindly asked to provide any relevant information on this matter by emailing Dr Ray Smith at: ray.smith@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk

Acceptability criteria for feed detoxification processes
The Commission’s intention is to provide a framework for competent authorities to assess the acceptability of particular processes for reducing the risk from the presence of chemical and microbiological entities in feed. It is expected that the Commission will submit a proposal for a vote in early 2010.

Maximum limits and action limits for dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs
Member States were generally in favour of amending the current controls for dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in order to use 2005 TEF values. The position on controls for non-dioxin like PCBs in feed has not yet been resolved.

Reassessment of guidance values for certain mycotoxins (such as ochratoxin A) in feed
It is not yet clear whether Member States want to retain current controls based on guidance values or to convert these to statutory maximum limits.

European Union Catalogue of Feed Materials
The Commission is to create the first version of the feed material catalogue, as required by Regulation 767/2009 on marketing and use of feed, possibly as a Commission regulation. This first version of the catalogue merely incorporates those feed materials contained in the current feed materials Directive 96/25 and the ‘feed bioproteins’ Directive 82/471.

Distinction between feed materials and feed additives
The Commission provided a working paper seeking to provide guidelines to discriminate between feed additives and feed materials. Member States generally supported the Commission’s document. It’s unclear whether ‘dual-listing’ of a substance as both a feed additive and a feed material will be acceptable in the future.

Transitional measures for labelling of feed (Article 32 Regulation 767/2009)
There was general agreement that all types of feed should be allowed to use the new labelling system before the application date of 1 September 2010, and that an additional measure be agreed to allow the use of pre-printed pet food labels that use the current labelling system after this date. It is expected that the Commission’s proposal will go for a vote in early 2010.

Botanical impurities
There was discussion on a working paper that sets out the existing labelling provisions derived from Regulation 1829/2003 (GM feed and food) and Directive 96/25 (feed materials, soon to be placed in Annex I of Regulation 767/2009) where feed consignments contain either GM or non-GM botanical impurities (such as soya in a maize consignment). The document was generally well accepted by Member States.

Codex electronic working group on animal feeding
The Commission said that preliminary comments from the European Union had now been sent to the joint chairs of the working group (Dk and USA). The comments included requested changes to be made to Codex papers intended to deal with food to take account of equivalent feed issues (such as the exchange of information in the event of food and feed emergencies).

The comments above represent the UK delegation’s interpretation of the meeting’s discussions. The European Commission’s reports of these meetings and the agendas can be found at the link below.

SCoFCAH is a European Commission regulatory committee that was established by Regulation 178/2002, a regulation that includes the laying down of principles and requirements of feed law. Meetings of the committee are chaired by European Commission officials, and attended by Member States’ representatives. The committee can give an opinion, that is to say a vote, on certain proposed measures, prior to their possible adoption by the Commission.

SCoFCAH has eight sections. The Animal Nutrition Section deals with animal feed and meets about 10 times each year. Information about the outcome of each meeting will be published on this website.

For further information about the SCoFCAH Animal Nutrition Section, email Dr Ray Smith at ray.smith@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk.