The guidelines have been published in the context of tackling the spread of the African Swine Fever (AFS) virus.
The recommendations are primarily meant for operators based in countries where there is no detailed professional or legal guidance yet for the drafting and implementation of biosecurity plans at feed mill level, said the EU trade group.
While the livestock farming community is put under stress by the prospect of outbreaks of viral diseases such as ASF but also Avian Influenza (AI), minimizing the risk of incidental dissemination of pathogens is everybody’s business - from farmers to members of the agro-supply industry to grain collectors and farm visitors, such as advisors and service providers, said FEFAC.
Workshop
The development of the new guidelines followed the biosecurity workshop in Bucharest in February this year that both FEFAC and its Romanian member association, ANFNC, co-hosted. The audience at that event, over 80 feed industry players, heard about how good biosecurity practice at feed mills can contribute to control and prevent dissemination of viruses.
The workshop was run against the backdrop of further spreading of ASF in Romanian pig farms.
“We had examples of best practice from a number of members in France, in the Netherlands, Hungary, and we had a veterinary surgeon from Romania and the Czech Republic showing the steps that feed business can take in terms of good biosecurity, whether that is at the mill, in terms of good hygiene measures, in terms of receipt of raw materials on lorries into the mills. It obviously [includes] the steps that are been taking for deliveries onto farm,” said Nick Major, president, FEFAC in an interview with this publication back then.
The latest thinking from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and DG Santé regarding the potential vectors for virus transmission was also reviewed at that workshop.
From the bulk of information provided at that event, FEFAC said, subsequently, it was going to move to identify best practice and generate a common set of principles. The trade group said it would also highlight actions that industry might not think about that could potentially be a vector for disease.
The FEFAC biosecurity recommendations for feed millers can be read here.