Starting an animal feed business

Businesses that make, market or use animal feed need to be registered and approved as animal feed businesses.

The following businesses are affected by animal feed legislation:

• manufacturers of compound feeds

• manufacturers of feed materials, feed additives and pre-mixtures

• importers

• companies transporting animal feed

• companies storing feed

• companies distributing compound feed 

• food businesses supplying surplus food for use as feed

• pet food manufacturers

• arable farms, growing, using or selling crops for feed use

• producers of animal feed for wild creatures (including wild game) which is intended for human consumption

• livestock farms 

• food and non-food businesses selling co-products which are destined as feed materials

You will need to be aware of the Feed Hygiene Regulation 183/2005 

Registration and approval of feed businesses

For registration and/or approval you will need to make an application to the local authority for the area in which your feed establishment operates. This may be the responsibility of the Trading Standards office or Environmental Health Service.

Find your Trading Standards Service or your Environmental Health Service.

The Trading Standards or Environmental Health Service will assess the feed activities carried out on the premises and may give one or more activity codes prefixed with an ‘A’ or an ‘R’ depending on whether an activity requires approval or registration.

Activities requiring registration

Manufacture and/or placing on the market of feed additives - other than those subject to approval (R1)

• This includes preservatives, emulsifiers, stabilisers, thickeners, gelling agents, binders, anticaking agents, acidity regulators, antioxidants (not subject to a maximum permitted level), silage agents, denaturants, substances to control radionucleide contamination, colourants (except carotenoids and xanthophylls).
• Feed additive manufacturers producing technological or sensory additives. Businesses selling (but not manufacturing) technological or sensory feed additives.

Manufacture and/or placing on the market of pre-mixtures - other than those subject to approval (R2)

• This includes premixtures containing any feed additive excluding vitamins A and D and copper and selenium.
• Feed businesses producing or selling premixtures, other than those containing vitamins A and D, copper and selenium. Businesses selling (but not manufacturing) such premixtures.

Manufacture and/or placing on the market of bioproteins not subject to approval (R3)

• This includes ammonium salts and certain killed yeasts cultivated on substrates of animal/vegetable origin.
• Businesses which both manufacture and sell such products; and businesses which do not manufacture but buy and sell such products.

Manufacture of compound feedingstuffs - other than those subject to approval (R4)

• This includes the manufacture of complete and complementary feeds, with or without additives.
• Businesses manufacturing complete and complementary feeds with or without additives.

Placing on the market of compound feeds (R5)

Establishments engaged in the buying and selling of compound feeds but not manufacturing such feeds. This includes businesses which do not physically hold any feeds (e.g. importers).

Manufacture of pet foods (R6)

• Includes the manufacture of complete and complementary feeds with or without additives.
• Pet food manufacturing businesses which manufacture complete and complementary feeds with or without additives.

Manufacture and/or placing on the market of feed materials (R7)

• Feed materials are products which can be fed singly to animals or used as ingredients of compound feeds.
• Businesses which produce or manufacture single ingredient materials (e.g. cereal or cereal based products, oils and fats) for animal feed use. Food manufacturers and branches of supermarkets involved in the transfer of surplus foodstuffs (e.g. out-of-date bakery products) into the feed chain. NB: this category does not include brewers, distillers and food manufacturers selling coproducts into the feed chain – see activity code R12.

Transport of feed and feed products (R8)    

• Transport of feed and feed products by manufacturers own vehicles are covered by the approval/registration of the manufacturer’s premises.
• Premises of businesses that transport feed materials, compound feed, feed additives and premixtures.

Storage of feed and feed products (R9)

• Only covers premises not covered by another approval/registration activity relating to the manufacture or placing on the market of the products in question. It excludes storage facilities at a manufacturer’s or transporter’s premises.
• Feed storage premises.

Food and non-food businesses selling co-products which are destined as feed materials (R12)

• This includes the selling of feed materials generated as co-products of the manufacture of food products (e.g. wheat bran, brewers grains, residues of soya bean and rapeseed from the extraction of oils, carrot tops and potato skins).
• Brewers, distillers, biofuel manufacturers, dairies and food manufacturers. NB: this category does not include food manufacturers and supermarkets which sell surplus foodstuffs (e.g. out-of-date bakery products) into the feed chain - see activity code R7.

Farms

Mixing feed on farm, with additives and pre-mixtures (R10)

• Farmers who buy in additives and premixture products (i.e. not contained in a compound feed) and mix them with feeds (forage, silage, haylage, cereals etc.).
• Additives and premixtures may include vitamins, trace elements (e.g. copper, zinc) and preservatives (e.g. proprionic acid).

Mixing feed on farm, with compound feeding stuffs which contain additives (R11)

Farmers who mix their own feeds on-farm using bought-in compound feeds that contain additives such as vitamins, trace elements, etc.

Livestock farms - including fish farms - which do not mix feeds or mix feeds without additives (R13)

Livestock farmers. This may include farms making silage or haylage (without using additives). Fish farms may also be included under this activity.

Arable farms growing or selling crops for feed (R14)    

Arable farmers such as those growing cereals, wheat, barley or food crops, e.g. potatoes, for use as feed.

Activities requiring approval

For approval, there is a fee for establishments applying for approval for the first time, and for an amendment to an existing approval. 

The provisions on approval fees for England are set out in Animal Feed (Hygiene, Sampling and Enforcement) (England) Regulations 2015. There are corresponding regulations for Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Manufacture and/or placing on the market of nutritional additives (A1)

• This includes vitamins, pro-vitamins and chemically defined substances having a similar effect; compounds of trace elements; amino acids, their salts and analogues; and urea and its derivatives, as authorised under Regulation 1831/2003.
• Feed additive manufacturers producing nutritional additives. Businesses selling (but not manufacturing) such additives.

Manufacture and/or placing on the market of zootechnical additives, this includes - digestibility enhancers, gut flora stabilisers and substances which favourably affect the environment (A2)

• This includes enzymes and micro-organisms.
• Feed additive manufacturers producing zootechnical additives, as indicated in the activity description column. Businesses selling (but not manufacturing) such additives.

Manufacture and/or placing on the market of antioxidant additives with a maximum content in feeds specified in Regulation 1831/2003 (A3)

• This may include propyl gallate, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), as authorised under Regulation 1831/2003.
• Feed additive manufacturers producing antioxidant additives with maximum permitted levels. Businesses selling (but not manufacturing) such additives.

Manufacture and/or placing on the market of colorant additives - carotenoids and xanthophylls (A4)

• These products are subject to maximum inclusion rates set under Regulation 1831/2003.
• Feed additive manufacturers producing carotenoids or xanthophylls (such as canthaxanthin). Businesses selling (but not manufacturing) such additives.

Manufacture and/or placing on the market of proteins obtained from micro-organisms belonging to groups of bacteria, yeast, algae and lower fungi (A5)

These substances were previously covered by Directive 82/471/EEC on Certain Products (Bioproteins) which has been revoked. They are now classified as feed materials, but establishments manufacturing or selling such products continue to require approval.

Manufacture and/or placing on the market of co-products of the manufacture of amino acids by fermentation (A6)

These substances were previously covered by Directive 82/471/EEC on Certain Products (Bioproteins) which has been revoked. They are now classified as feed materials, but establishments manufacturing or selling such products continue to require approval.

Manufacture and/or placing on the market of premixtures containing vitamins A and D (A7)

• These substances are subject to maximum inclusion rates set under Regulation 1831/2003.
• Manufacturers producing premixtures containing vitamins A or D. Businesses selling (but not manufacturing) premixtures containing vitamins A or D.

Manufacture and/or placing on the market of premixtures containing copper and selenium (A8)

• These products are subject to maximum inclusion rates set under Regulation 1831/2003.
• Feed additive manufacturers producing copper or selenium additives. Businesses selling (but not manufacturing) premixtures containing copper or selenium additives.

Premises that market, manufacture or use specified feed additives (A9 and A10)

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) approves premises that market, manufacture or use specified feed additives. This includes coccidiostats, histomonostats and non-antibiotic growth promoters.

Manufacturing and placing on the market, for feed use, products derived from vegetable oils and blended fats (A11)    

Activities not requiring registration and approval

Important

Feeding of animals not kept for food production - while registration is not required to carry out these activities, the feed used should always meet the requirements set down.

There are some activities outside the scope of the Feed Hygiene Regulation, which are not required to be registered as animal feed businesses.

These include:

• private domestic production of feed for food-producing animals kept for private domestic production and for animals not kept for food production
• feeding of food-producing animals kept for private domestic consumption
• feeding of animals not kept for food production 
• direct supply of small quantities of primary production of feed at local level by a producer to local farms for use on those farms
• retailing of pet food

• the direct supply, by the producer, of small quantities of primary products to the final consumer or to local retail establishments directly supplying the final. Regulation 183/2005 does not define 'small quantities'.

For further bespoke enquiries related to your business you should contact your local Trading Standards office or Environmental Health Service.

An explanation of codes, activities and guidance notes for Regulation 183/2005 are detailed within animal feed legislation information.

Feed premises list

EXCEL

View Approved feed premises as Excel(Open in a new window) (34.19 KB)

Privacy policy

Feed registrations and approvals lists privacy policy.