Pet food

Non-food producing animals typically include: 

• fur-bearing animals (rearing of these animals are banned in the UK) 

• animals kept in zoos or circuses  

• animals kept in laboratories 

• creatures living freely in the wild 

• pets 

Please note for the purposes of the legislation, horses and rabbits are considered to be food-producing animals. 

Pet food labelling 

When declaring ingredients, pet food manufacturers have the option to declare by category, for example, oils and fats or meat and products derived from animals. 

There are two benefits to declaring pet food ingredients by categories: 

• it allows manufacturers to better manage fluctuations in supply of raw materials used  
• it provides flexibility for labelling ingredients 

Both of these factors help to avoid unreasonable additional costs. 

Feed labelling legislation allows pet food manufacturers to highlight the presence or absence of a certain ingredient and to provide additional information (beyond the statutory minimum required) for purchasers.   

Examples of additional information are analytical declarations for protein or fibre, or the name and address of the manufacturer.   

The additional information is subject to certain safeguards. It must contain objective and quantifiable factors which can be proved. It should not mislead purchasers or make medicinal claims. These safeguards ensure that pet food product labels contain the ingredients as stated on the label. 

Domestic pet food production 

It is possible to approve processed pet food production in domestic premises, however you will need to adhere to all conditions which are applicable to other pet food plants. This includes the requirement to carry out bacteriological sampling and put in place a feed safety management system based on the principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP). 

You should contact your local Trading Standards office or DAERA in Northern Ireland to register and seek further advice. 

Animal by-products in pet food  

Pet food which is made up of material of animal origin can be used by the petfood industry. These materials and pet foods are called ‘animal by-products’ (ABP) set out in Regulation (EC) 1069/2009. The Regulation outlines that ABP are “animal by-products and derived products not intended for human consumption”. This sort of material of animal origin comes from animals which are inspected and passed as fit for human consumption before slaughter. It must be free of transmissible disease, which means material from dying, diseased or disabled animals cannot be used. 

DEFRA, DAERA  and Welsh Government are responsible for any animal material that is an ABP or that comes from an ABP. An ABP can mean the entire body, part of an animal, or a product of animal origin which is not intended for human consumption. Once an animal by-product or derived product is defined as an ABP, it cannot be  used for human consumption. 

If you intend to use ABP in your products  then you will also need to register with APHA or DAERA in Northern Ireland under the animal by-products rules. This also applies to milk, eggs, and material of marine origin such as fish and shellfish. This is because of the implications for animal health from the improper transport, storage and use of material of animal origin. 

More information on these rules is available on supplying and using animal by-product as farm animal feeds, UK Pet Food publish guidance on best-practice-raw-pet-food-manufacture.

Find out more information about the animal by-product industry. 

Additives in pet food

Pet food is subject to similar controls for authorised additives and levels of undesirable substances as apply to feed for farmed livestock. When setting the maximum permitted levels for undesirable substances for pets, the key part of the risk assessment is generally the extent to which the animal can tolerate them. 

Marketing of pet food 

There are restrictions on the use of some claims that can be made on animal feed and many of these concern pet food.  

Examples of these claims include the following: 

• support of renal function in renal insufficiency 

• reduction of acute intestinal absorptive disorders 

• regulation of glucose supply and support of skin function in dermatosis 

• excessive hair loss 

More information can be found in assimilated Regulation (EU) 2020/354 which includes a list of feedingstuffs for particular nutritional purposes. It also sets down conditions for their use. 

For regulations on the control of feed additives in pet food, go to animal feed legislation. 

Pet food containing ABPs, regardless of how it is made up, cannot be marketed as suitable for human consumption.  

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).