The European Feed Manufacturers’ Guide receives unanimous official support from EU authorities
The EU Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health – Section Animal Nutrition, assessed positively the European Feed Manufacturers Guide (EFMC) at its meeting on 29 January 2007.
The Standing Committee considered that the EFMC was suitable as a guide for European compound feed and premix producers to ensure compliance with the new EU Feed Hygiene Regulation laying down specific obligations on traceability and risk analysis of feed products.
FEFAC President Prof Martin Tielen expressed his great satisfaction pointing to the fact that “for the first time in the history of European feed and food legislation, harmonized European sector guidelines for good manufacturing practice have been successfully assessed by the competent authorities at EU level. This decision is setting a new milestone for an effective cooperation on feed and food safety between the European authorities and the European feed industry”.
Mr Tielen continued to say that “FEFAC’s members are strongly encouraged by this vote which will stimulate further implementation of the EFMC, either directly or as baseline requirement in respective national codes, by feed manufacturers throughout the EU-27”
FEFAC remains fully committed “to stay in the forefront” on new feed safety developments, ensuring that the EFMC will reflect the latest progress at scientific and technological level, hoping that other European feed and food sector guides will be submitted to same evaluation process.
In cooperation with its chain partners and competent control authorities, FEFAC is planning a new feed safety roundtable in autumn 2007 in order to take stock of the experiences with the implementation of the new Feed Hygiene Regulation and the results of the rapid alert system for feed and food in order to identify new areas of chain partnership cooperation between operators and competent authorities.
The EFMC was successfully assessed, together with two other European Guides of the Feed Sector, by the EU Standing Committee, as one of the first three feed sector guides, according to the procedure laid down in Art. 22 of the Feed Hygiene Regulation (EC) N°183/2005, after consultation of involved stakeholders.
National guides to good practice based on the EFMC (in alphabetical order):
Austria (VFÖ): Austrian Feed Manufacturers Code
Belgium (OVOCOM): Code GMP général pour le secteur de l’alimentation animale (NL)
Czech Republic (CMSO ZZN): Code of good manufacturing and hygiene practice for the manufacturers of premixtures and compound feedingstuffs containing premixtures or complementary feedingstuffs for farm animal nutrition
Denmark (DAKOFO): EFMC has been translated in the national language and will serve as the reference code for the organization members
Finland (FFDIF): Finish Feed Manufacturers Code
France (SNIA/SYNCOPAC): Guide de Bonnes Pratiques de la Fabrication des Aliments Composés pour Animaux
Germany (QS): QS Leitfaden für die Futtermittelwirtschaft
Ireland: Irish Feed Assurance Scheme - Code of Practice for the Manufacture of Safe Compound Animal Feedingstuffs
Italy (ASSALZOO): Codice di buone pratiche per la produzione e la commercializzazione d’alimenti composti per animali da reddito.
Luxembourg (OVOCOM): Code GMP général pour le secteur de l’alimentation animale
Poland (IZBA Gospodarcza): EFMC has been translated in the national language and will serve as the reference code for the organization members
Portugal (IACA): Código de boas práticas para o fabrico de prémisturas e de alimentos para animais
Slovakia (AFPWTC): Slovak Feed Manufacturers Code
Slovenia (GZS): Slovenian Feed Manufacturers Code
Spain (CESFAC): Alimentación Animal Certificada
The Netherlands (Productschap Diervoeder): GMP+- certificatieschema diervoedersector 2006 – Productie & bewerking diervoeders voor lanbouwhuisdieren – GMP+ standaard B1 (EN)
UK (AIC): AIC Feed Assurance Scheme (UFAS) - Code of Practice for the Manufacture of Safe Compound Animal Feedingstuffs
FEFAC, the European Compound Feed Manufacturers’ Federation, represents 21 national Associations in 20 EU Member States as well as Associations in Switzerland, Turkey and Norway with observer/associate member status.
The European compound feed industry employs over 100,000 persons on app. 4,000 production sites often in rural areas, which offer few employment opportunities. Farm animals in the EU consume an estimated 460 million tonnes of feed a year, of which 145 million tonnes are produced by the compound feed manufacturers. Turnover of the European compound feed industry is estimated at € 35 billion.
