Farmers producing animal feed

Requirements and registration

Farmers producing animal feed must follow certain regulations to ensure that feed provided to animals is safe and that feed products can be traced in the event of a safety incident. The legislation complements the requirements that apply to the production of food as set out in the Food Hygiene Regulations. All farms producing animal feeds must be registered with the appropriate enforcement authority.

Farmers, as primary producers, those not mixing with additives and pre-mixtures, must follow basic hygiene procedures (Annex I of the Regulation) in relation to the feed they use or grow and ensure that hazards are properly controlled.

These measures include

• prevent the contamination and spoilage of feed

• clean equipment used for mixing, storing or transporting feed

• maintain records of feed used or sold

In addition, Annex III of the Regulation on Good Animal Feeding Practices applies to livestock farmers feeding food-producing animals.

Read further guidance on animal feed legislation.

Farmers mixing with additives and pre-mixtures

Farmers which carry out activities other than primary production such as the mixing of feed for the exclusive requirements of their own holdings using additives or pre-mixtures of additives (with the exception of silage additives), should comply with the provisions in Annex II, where relevant, for those operations.  

Annex II of assimilated Regulation (EU) 183/2005 provides further detail on how this applies to farmers using feed additives, for example, urea and pre-mixtures.

Those carried out should put in place, implement and maintain, a permanent written procedure or procedures based on the HACCP principles

Farmers mixing with additives and pre-mixtures will have to apply the principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system. 

England, Northern Ireland and Wales

PDF

View Guidance on HACCP-related requirements for farmers as PDF(Open in a new window) (35.84 KB)

See guidance on feed hygiene requirements for farmers mixing additives and pre-mixtures directly in feeds and mixing compound feed with additives. 

England, Northern Ireland and Wales

PDF

View Guidance on the requirements of Regulation 183/2005 as PDF(Open in a new window) (497.14 KB)

Important

References to EU legislation in FSA guidance

Directly applicable EU legislation no longer applies in GB. EU legislation retained when the UK exited the EU became assimilated law on 1 January 2024, published on legislation.gov.uk. References to any legislation in FSA guidance with ‘EU’ or ‘EC’ in the title (e.g. Regulation (EC) 178/2002) should now be regarded as assimilated law where applicable to GB. References to ‘Retained EU Law’ or ‘REUL’ should now be regarded as references to assimilated law. 

For businesses moving goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, information on the Windsor Framework is available on GOV.UK. 

The Windsor Framework was adopted by the UK and EU on 24 March 2023. The Framework provides a unique set of arrangements to support the flow of agrifood retail products from Great Britain (GB) to Northern Ireland (NI), allowing GB standards for public health in relation to food, marketing and organics to apply for pre-packed retail goods moved via the NI Retail Movement Scheme (NIRMS).

Animal feed record-keeping requirements for farmers

There are specific record-keeping requirements for farmers who produce, use, grow or sell animal feed. Records should be retained until it is likely that products have been consumed, in some cases this may be several years.

Example of documents to keep

Invoices, receipts, delivery notes, feed labels

The use of any plant protection products and biocides. This includes herbicides, pesticides, rat baits, fly sprays, and disinfectants. Keep information on the name and date of use of products, together with pests, crops or areas treated.

Invoices, receipts, delivery notes, spray records, treatment and baiting records

Any occurrence of pests and diseases that may affect the safety of primary products, for example, on crops grown for feed use and records on measures to control hazards, for example, pest control systems and cleaning programmes

Farm diary, washing and cleaning protocols, relevant invoices, receipts and statements from contractors. Records of treatments, for example, application of fumigants, rat baiting diagrams

The results of any laboratory analyses on samples of feeds that may have importance for feed safety, for example, for mercury or lead.

Feed labels and details of any analyses undertaken

Use of genetically modified (GM) seeds. Please note - no GM seeds are authorised for commercial planting in the UK at present.

Seed labels and invoices

Records should be retained until it is likely that products, for example, milk, meat, eggs, have been consumed. This may be several years.