Food and feed hygiene for farmers and growers

There is no specific positive list of feed materials that can be fed to farm animals. This is partly because of the likely length of such a list. It is also because research into animal nutrition continually finds new uses for potential crops. It is your choice what to feed your animals based on the species you farm, their produce, and their nutritional needs.

However, Annex III of Regulation (EC) 767/2009 on the placing on the market and use of feed lists materials that are restricted or prohibited for animal nutritional purposes.

Feed hygiene regulations for farmers

EU feed hygiene regulations apply to all farmers. The laws you should be aware of are:

• Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuff
• Regulation (EC) No 183/2005 laying down requirements for feed hygiene, including production, transport, storage and use of animal feed

Find more information about the animal feed legislation.

Legislation for animal feed businesses

The legal definition of a feed business is "any undertaking, whether for profit or not and whether public or private, carrying out any operation of production, manufacture, processing, storage, transport or distribution of feed, including any producer producing, processing or storing feed for feeding to animals on his own holding".

UK laws on the composition and marketing of animal feed are derived from EU measures.

Animal feed regulations cover:

• the additives (vitamins, colourants, flavourings, binders etc) authorised for use in animal feed
• the maximum levels of various contaminants - eg arsenic, lead, dioxins and certain pesticides
• certain ingredients that must not be used in feed
• the nutritional claims that can be made for certain feeds
• the names and descriptions which must be applied to various feed materials - that is, ingredients fed singly
• the information to be provided on feed labels

You must also register your feed business with the Department of Agriculture, Environment & Rural Affairs (DAERA), and ensure that your facilities, storage, personnel and record-keeping meet the necessary requirements.

Genetically modified (GM) materials in animal feed

As the UK cannot supply all the animal feed it requires, it imports approximately 20 per cent of its feed materials from outside the European Union. Some of this material will be GM.

For more information, see Food Standards Agency's guidance on GM material in animal feed.