Regulation on feed additives consisting of preparations

The definition of feed additives encompasses the use of preparations. However, feed additive preparations were not specifically defined in Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003, and thus, clarity was required when the European Commission and the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed on Animal Nutrition started discussing feed additives marketed as preparations.

FEFANA was a key stakeholder in the discussions with the EU and Members States’ Authorities, and finally, it became necessary to amend the feed additives legislation to provide detail on: what a preparation is; which ingredients can be used; and how preparations and their ingredients should be labelled (as additives and in the premixtures containing them).

In March 2015, Regulation (EU) No 2015/327 detailing the requirements for the placing on the market and conditions of use of additives consisting of preparations was published in the Official Journal of the European Union, clarifying the status of these products: “In some preparations, authorised as additives in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003, technological additives and other substances or products are incorporated to exert a function on the active substance contained in the preparation, such as stabilising or standardising it, facilitating its handling or its incorporation into feed. […] The technological additives or other substances or products added to maintain the integrity of an active substance are however not intended to perform a function in the feed, in which the preparation is to be incorporated.”

This Regulation also mandates that operators provide information about the composition of the preparations placed on the market, since such information enables the end-user or the purchaser to make an informed choice, allows appropriate risk assessment and contributes to fairness of transactions. Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003, on specific labelling requirements for certain additives and for premixtures, and Annex IV, thereto, on general conditions of use, were, therefore, amended to incorporate this update. The approach taken by the authorities provides practical solutions for the feed business operators and ensures transparent and effective flow of information along the chain, whilst maintaining a high level of feed safety.