Animal feed

Print all pages

Assimilated Regulation (EC) No 183/2005 laying down requirements for feed hygiene is aimed at ensuring that controls throughout the feed chain are strengthened. Main points include:

The requirement for all feed businesses to be registered and/or approved
controls and provisions in relation to feed businesses' operational standards
provisions to help ensure that feed is produced, transported and stored in hygienic conditions, and records are kept allowing full traceability of feed

Who is covered?

With few exceptions, the legislation applies to all feed businesses, which are defined in assimilated Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 laying down the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures in matters of food safety as "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".

Examples of feed businesses include:

feed manufacturers
feed importers
sellers of feed
feed transporters
storers of feed
food companies selling co-products or surplus food for use in feed
pet food manufacturers
livestock farms, fish farms or arable farms growing and using or selling crops for feed use

Before applying for registration or approval, feed businesses musty ensure they can meet the relevant feed hygiene requirements. Guidance on this can be found on the Business Companion Website or by following this link Feed hygiene for farmers and growers | Business Companion

In addition to the guidance above, the legislation can be found on Legislation.gov.uk here: Regulation (EC) No 183/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 January 2005 laying down requirements for feed hygiene (Text with EEA relevance)

If you intend to use any products of animal origin, it is likely that approval may be needed from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). Guidance on using products of animal origin can be found at the following links.

· Supplying and using animal by-products as farm animal feed - GOV.UK

· Manufacturing your own pet foods | Business Companion

· Pet food | Food Standards Agency

Applying for registration or approval

Before applying it may be beneficial to discuss your requirements with a feed officer. Please email trading.standards@eastsussex.gov.uk providing your name and contact details and a brief description of your business/farm type and an officer will call you in due course.

To register your business, please complete the application form which can be found here - Application for registration or approval under the EU Feed Hygiene Regulation (183/2005) | East Sussex County Council

Feed businesses will be allocated a code which is based on the risk associated with the activity or product. A list activities and products along with the relevant codes can be found at the link below to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) website:

· Starting an animal feed business | Food Standards Agency

Further Information

Business Companion – Animals and Agriculture