The EU feed manufacturers federation, FEFAC, said the 1990 Directive 90/167/EEC left an uneven playing field and was far too open to interpretation.
Yesterday saw the EC adopt proposals that will repeal and substitute that Directive regarding the manufacture, the placing on the market and the use of medicated feed.
The regulator is aiming “to harmonize the production standards and marketing of medicated feed in the EU at an appropriate safety level, and to reflect technical and scientific progress in this area.”
The draft rules intend to ensure that medicated feed can only be manufactured from specifically authorized veterinary medicines and by approved manufacturers.
A spokesperson for FEFAC told us: "The recasting is very much needed after 24 years. As harmonisation and clarification of requirements in the internal market generally alleviate cost pressures, our expectation would be that the recasting will reduce the financial burden to a certain extent.”
The Commission said antimicrobial resistance (AMR) will be also tackled through measures such as a ban on medicated feed being used preventively.
Antimicrobials are some of the most widely used products in the production of medicated feed in the EU, along with anti-parasite medication.
Former Directive 'vague'
The EU regulator said Directive 90/167/EEC was established before the creation of the internal market and has never been adapted in substance “giving freedom to member states regarding interpretation and implementation of the legal provisions” but it said “this flexibility has contributed to some problems.”
That 15 year old set of rules, added the Commission, also give no indication on what standards to apply in approving plants or the acceptable techniques to produce medicated feed, and the Directive does not deal either with the concept of carry-over of medicated feed between batches, nor on the specific labeling of medicated feed.
It is also vague on whether feed may be prepared in advance of prescription in the mill, said the regulator.
In April this year, the official blog of EBLEX, the organization for the English beef and sheep meat sector, noted that, currently, different national systems and requirements on medicated feed result in cost differences in products across countries.
The group also commented on other challenges generated by regulatory gaps:
“Because of the lack of specification of production requirements, especially the provisions relating to incorporation of the medicine into the feed, there is a risk of incorrect dosage and ineffective treatment of animals, which can encourage the development of antimicrobial resistance.
It is also deemed that the absence of common standards for carry-over of veterinary medicinal products residues into the feed for non-target animals increases the risks of cross-contamination,” reports EBLEX.
Advantages of medicated feed route
Medicated feed is generally used to treat diseases in large groups of animals, in particular pigs and poultry.
FEFAC said all routes for oral administration of veterinary medicinal products (VMP) have their strengths and weaknesses and it should be up to the vet to decide which mode is the most appropriate.
“In any case, all options should be subject to a clear, harmonized legal framework,” said the trade group.
The advantage offered by medicated feed, said FEFAC, is the better control on the product when ingested by the animal as regards homogeneity, traceability, control of compliance with the prescription, lower exposure of farms to the active substance and fulfillment of the treatment period.
“Disadvantages are, among others, the inadequacy for individual treatment, the reduced appetite of sick animals and the risk of carry-over into non-medicated feed,” added the feed industry representatives.
Producing medicated feed is a service to farmers, said FEFAC, with the trade group saying the handling of VMPs in a feed mill requires specific, demanding procedures for the manufacturer, and that “producing medicated feed is not an objective at all for compound feed manufacturers.”
The lobby group also said the feed sector has been at the forefront of developing innovative approaches to better boost gut health, thereby contributing to the antibiotic reduction drive in livestock and companion animals along the principle ‘as little as possible, as much as necessary’, while respecting the animal’s right to proper medication.
Other EU institutions, including the European Parliament and the Council, will now consider the Commission’s proposals.
The draft legislation can be read here.