Emergency authorizations given to four feed cobalt salts in England and Wales
The move follows pressure from the UK feed industry representatives, the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC).
Authorization of the key feed additives was due to expire in July.
"This is a great example of the industry and regulators working together to secure the right outcome for livestock farmers,” said James McCulloch, AIC's head of animal feed.
In a letter received by the AIC today, Mark Spencer, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) minister, confirmed that Statutory Instruments (SIs) for the urgent approval of four cobalt additives have now been laid in parliament.
In May, the AIC and the British Association of Feed Supplement and Additive Manufacturers (BAFSAM) jointly wrote to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Defra, submitting evidence and data on the animal welfare and economic implications of losing the four cobalt feed additives.
The AIC said it also responded to an FSA consultation on its members' behalf.
It comes after a similar decision was made in Scotland, with legislation approving the use of the same cobalt salts put to the Scottish Parliament earlier in June; that again followed a coordinated effort by the AIC and BAFSAM.
Uninterrupted market supply
The SIs have been harmonized to collectively come into force across Great Britain (GB) on July 15, ensuring uninterrupted market supply of cobalt feed additives, said the trade group.
There were five cobalt compounds permitted for use in GB under Retained Regulation (EC) 601/2013. The FSA received an application for renewal of coated granulated cobalt (II) carbonate in July 2022. Accordingly, the agency said this feed additive will remain on the GB market under its existing authorization until a decision is made on the renewal application.
A feed additive can only remain on the UK market after its initial authorization expired if a renewal request is submitted at least 12 months prior to its expiry date.
The supplier of cobalt (II) acetate tetrahydrate, cobalt (II) carbonate, cobalt (II) carbonate hydroxide (2:3) monohydrate and cobalt (II) sulphate heptahydrate sought new approvals in November 2022. This was less than 12 months before their initial authorization expired, and so authorization of these four feed additives would have expired on July 15 had there been no intervention by the trade group and policy makers.
Cobalt supplementation
Cobalt is an essential trace element that is used to meet the nutritional demands for ruminants, horses and to a lesser extent other animal species due its association with vitamin B12 for which there is no alternative.
Most forages and feedstuffs fed to ruminants do not contain adequate quantities of cobalt to support the ruminant’s nutritional requirements without the use of cobalt as an additive, stated the FSA in its consultation briefing. Differing characteristics of the cobalt compounds are required to meet the formulation criteria for various feed types, from standard rations through to specialized supplements.
