ELI
The European Legislation Identifier (ELI) is a system to make legislation available online in a standardised format.
In this ELI EU FEED document we aim to summarise the most important current European animal feed legislation, guidelines and legal tools and make it more accessible
Animal feed hygiene
European legislation lays down, in a regulation, the rules regarding hygiene during the production, transportation, storage and use of animal feed, as well as the approval and registration rules regarding operators who have an activity in the animal feed sector.
Regulation (EC) No 183/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 January 2005 laying down requirements for feed hygiene.
Summary of the feed hygiene legislation
Marketing of animal feeds
European legislation specifies the rules which govern trading and the use of raw materials for animal feed and compound feed, as well as for prohibited substances.
Regulation (EC) No 767/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 on the placing on the market and use of feed, amending European Parliament and Council Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 and repealing Council Directive 79/373/EEC, Commission Directive 80/511/EEC, Council Directives 82/471/EEC, 83/228/EEC, 93/74/EEC, 93/113/EC and 96/25/EC and Commission Decision 2004/217/EC.
Commission Regulation (EU) 2020/354 of 4 March 2020 establishing a list of intended uses of feed intended for particular nutritional purposes and repealing Directive 2008/38/EC.
Summary of the feed marketing legislation
Feed additives
European legislation defines the specific rules for the trading and use of additives for animal feed.
Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2003 on additives for use in animal nutrition.
Summary of the feed additives legislation
European Union Register of Feed Additives
In accordance with European regulation 183/2005, manufacturers of additives and premixtures in third countries must have a representative located in the European Union to export to a Member State. The establishments situated in Belgium, which are currently representatives, are shown in the attached table, in alphabetic order, with an indication of the manufacturers and the products which are represented.
Medicated feed
The medicated feed corresponds to the mixing of a compound feed with one or more medicated premixtures (= veterinary medicinal product). They are prepared before being placed on the market and are intended to be administered as such to animals due to their therapeutic or prophylactic properties.
Summary of the medicated feed legislation
Directive 90/167/EEC was transposed into Belgian law by the Royal Decree of 21 December 2006 laying down the conditions for the preparation, placing on the market and use of medicated feed. This RD specifies the standards for products, for the placing on the market, and the use of medicated feed, as well as their means of prescription.
Regulation (EU) 2019/4 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 on the manufacture, placing on the market and use of medicated feed, amending Regulation (EC) No 183/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Council Directive 90/167/EEC.
Undesirables substances in animal feed
The legislation on undesirable substances aims to ensure that only safe raw materials, additives and compound feeds, which are unadulterated and are of merchantable quality, are put into circulation and used. Moreover, if they are used correctly, they will not present any danger, neither to animal or human health, nor to the environment, and are not likely to affect animal production.
An important principle of this legislation is the general prohibition on diluting. The products which exceed one or more of the imposed maximum levels cannot be mixed for dilution purposes with the same product or with other products destined for animal feed.
Directive 2002/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 May 2002 on undesirable substances in animal feed.
Summary of the undesirable substances in animal feed legislation
Directive 2002/32/EC was transposed into Belgian law by the Royal Decree of 28 June 2011 concerning the placing on the market and use of animal feed, and by the Ministerial Decree of 12 February 1999 concerning the placing on the market and use of animal feed. The annexes to this directive are adopted in the form of regulations, and are therefore directly applicable in all Member States of the European Union.
Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 February 2005 on maximum residue levels of pesticides in or on food and feed of plant and animal origin and amending Council Directive 91/414/EEC.
Summary of the pesticide residues legislation
Commission Regulation (EU) 2015/786 of 19 May 2015 defining acceptability criteria for detoxification processes applied to products intended for animal feed as provided for in Directive 2002/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council.
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies
European legislation lays down rules for the prevention, control and eradication of certain forms of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, including in animal feed. These provisions are known under the title "Feed ban".
Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 May 2001 laying down rules for the prevention, control and eradication of certain transmissible spongiform encephalopathies.
Animal by-products not intended for human consumption
Products of animal origin which can still be used as animal feed are subject to very strict conditions. These, as well as the technical provisions, are included in the 2 European regulations. These regulations determine the conditions for the collection, transportation, storage, processing, use, elimination and placing on the market of all products of animal origin which are not intended for human consumption.
Regulation (EC) No 1069/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 October 2009 laying down health rules as regards animal by-products and derived products not intended for human consumption and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002.
Commission Regulation (EU) No 142/2011 of 25 February 2011 implementing Regulation (EC) No 1069/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down health rules as regards animal by-products and derived products not intended for human consumption and implementing Council Directive 97/78/EC as regards certain samples and items exempt from veterinary checks at the border under that Directive.
Summary of the animal by-products not intended for human consumption legislation
Genetically modified feedingstuffs
The European legislative framework in the area of GMO aims to ensure:
- the protection of human and animal health, and the environment, by putting in place an assessment of the safety of GMOs before they can be commercialised and used;
- the implementation of effective and transparent procedures to assess the risks and possible authorisation of GMOs;
- the requirement to have clear labelling for GMOs which are placed on the market as food or animal feed, or as cultivation material, to enable the consumer or the professional user to make a conscious choice.
- to guarantee the traceability of GMOs placed on the market.
Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2003 on genetically modified food and feed.
Summary of the genetically modified food and feed legislation
Regulation (EC) No 1830/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2003 concerning the traceability and labelling of genetically modified organisms and the traceability of food and feed products produced from genetically modified organisms and amending Directive 2001/18/EC.
Summary of the traceability and labelling legislation
Commission Regulation (EU) No 619/2011 of 24 June 2011 laying down the methods of sampling and analysis for the official control of feed as regards presence of genetically modified material for which an authorisation procedure is pending or the authorisation of which has expired.