July 2011 update on the Animal Nutrition Section of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health

Wednesday 13 July 2011

This update provides information about the Animal Nutrition Section of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH) meeting held on 6 and 7 July 2011.

Feed additives
Votes were taken on seven Commission proposals for feed additive authorisations – all of these received a qualified majority vote (QMV) in favour. A summary of these is given in the table below:

Feed additive authorisations - July 2011 SCoFCAH (Animal Nutrition Section)

Undesirable substances
A proposal (SANCO/11515/2011) for a Commission Regulation concerning dioxins and polychlorinated (PCBs) in feed was agreed by a qualified majority vote (QMV). This provided revised limits for dioxins, furans and dioxin-like PCBs based on the use of the 2005 WHO toxic equivalent factors (TEFs). In addition the text sets limits for non-dioxin-like PCBs in feed for the first time.

A further proposal (SANCO/10557/2011) concerning the revision of Regulation 152/2009 (methods of sampling and analysis of feed) corresponding to the changes set out in paragraph 10 achieved a QMV.

Marketing and use of Feed
The EFSA opinion on the use of hemp species as feed materials had raised some concerns about possible THC exposures in children due to possible carry over into milk. The feed hemp sector (EIHA) had disagreed with EFSA concerning exposures in toddlers and provided its own data. The latter was based studies in man, as opposed to studies in animals that were used by CONTAM. It was agreed that the new data be passed to EFSA.

There was a discussion on the use of Solanum glaucophyllum as a feed material. This plant contains high levels of a form of vitamin D that is not itself authorised as a feed additive. However, current legislation would not automatically prevent the use of the plant as a feed material. It was agreed that the Commission should ask EFSA for a risk assessment for this the use of this species in animal feed.

Controls on feed oils and fats
The Commission provided a proposal (SANCO/10282/2011) for a Regulation concerning additional controls for the presence of dioxins in feed oils/fats. The intention was to place the new measures in Annex II of Regulation 183/2005 (the Feed Hygiene Regulation). The main issues covered by the proposal were:

1. Approval to be required under Article 10 of Regulation 183/2005 for feed business operators that manufacture, blend or place feed on the market.
2. Establishments that blend oils for feed use that blend oils for other purposes must ensure that these other oils comply with the controls contained in Annex I of Directive 2002/32.
3. Containers used to store or transport oils should be dedicated for that purpose (some derogations).
4. A mandatory dioxin/PCB monitoring regime (up to 100% of batches) for feed fats and oils (to include some non-feed products) and compound feeds.
5. Laboratories to notify competent authorities of non-compliant results.

Point (d) caused some significant differences of opinion. Some member states said that the Commission’s proposed programme of mandatory monitoring was against the spirit of self-regulation used throughout Regulation 183/2005 and 'tour de table' indicated that the Commission’s text did not have enough support for a QMV. The Commission announced that it would not take the proposal to a formal vote at the meeting, but would reflect further.

Codex Task Force on Animal Feeding
The Commission presented the two draft documents drawn up by the Swiss Secretariat (priority list of hazards in the feed chain and guidance on risk assessment methodologies). The Codex member countries were in the process of submitting comments to the Swiss Secretariat and Codex Secretariat, who would be issuing a formal circular letter in the autumn. The two draft documents would be honed in the light of comments received prior to the first plenary session of the Task Force in Bern in February 2012.

It was agreed that a high level of attendance by EU member states in Bern would be highly desirable. It was suggested that there might be two tangible outcomes:

1. the development of a global database as a major step forward in the creation of a practical toolbox for feed safety risk assessors
2. Codex and OIE producing a complementary list of feed hazards

Any other business
The Commission said that it would try to make progress on the issue of traces of food packaging material in animal feed later in 2011. It was suggested that the ban contained in Annex III of Regulation 767/2009 referred to the use of food packaging as a feed material, as opposed to a ban on the presence of small residues in feed.

In response to a question from a member state concerning the requirement for the declaration of trace elements to be declared as the chemical compound, as opposed to the trace element itself, the Commission said that the current requirements are clear and that feed manufacturers must abide by them. The Commission appeared to be unwilling to consider amending the Annexes VI and VII of Regulation 767/2009, despite strong support from member states to make such a change.