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Food and drink businesses – supplying into the animal feed chain

Requirements food and drink businesses that supply food products for use as animal feed must comply with.

Last updated: 31 December 2020
See all updates
Last updated: 31 December 2020
See all updates

Food and drink businesses that supply food products for use as animal feed must comply with the requirements of the Feed Hygiene Regulation 183/2005. This applies whether or not food products are supplied via a food processor or sent direct to farms.

Businesses providing food products for pet food are also covered by these requirements. Businesses must also apply a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) system appropriate to the activities carried out.

These requirements are designed to protect the feed and food chains and ensure traceability of products. They include an obligation for businesses to be registered with the appropriate enforcement authority. These are:

  • Local Authority Trading Standards in England
  • the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland

Feed Hygiene Regulation guidance

This guidance applies in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland and to premises supplying material for animal feed use including

  • importers
  • manufacturers and processors
  • retailers
  • caterers

England, Northern Ireland and Wales

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).