A KEY STEP TO STIMULATE INNOVATION IN ANIMAL NUTRITION WHILE INCREASING TRANSPARENCY OF THE FEED CHAIN
FEFAC welcomes the positive vote of the European Parliament on the Commission proposal on placing on the market and use of feed at the plenary session on 5 February 2009.
FEFAC President, Mr Pedro Corrêa de Barros, thanked the Members of the EP Agricultural Committee who have negotiated the compromise text with the Council and the Commission during the French Presidency by stating that "the European institutions have delivered a well-balanced, modern regulatory framework for the marketing and use of feed in record time". He noted that the new simplified labelling rules will stimulate research and development in the feed industry at a time when the EU livestock sector and the global supply of animal proteins to a growing world population are facing great challenges.
“Progress in animal nutrition science and its application in feed formulation is the key to meet the consumer’s demand for higher quality, sustainable and affordable animal proteins. The new legal framework will allow European feed manufacturers to strengthen their global leadership position in applied animal nutrition by protecting their know-how while delivering more meaningful product information to their livestock customers.”
FEFAC has already established a “to-do list” on a number of issues which are subject to co-regulation in the new framework, including the work on a new voluntary catalogue for feed materials and a code of practice for the labelling of compound feed and product claims. In cooperation with the EU feed chain partner organisations, FEFAC will seek to finalise these important sector guidance documents to ensure an efficient implementation of the future regulation.
Mr Corrêa de Barros expressed his hope that the Czech EU Council Presidency can rapidly adopt the final compromise text in order to facilitate an early publication and application date of the new regulation, thus allowing the livestock farming and the feed sectors to reap its benefits
Notes:
1. FEFAC, the European Compound Feed Manufacturers’ Federation, represents 21 national Associations in 20 EU Member States as well as Associations in Switzerland, Turkey, Croatia and Norway with observer/associate member status. The European compound feed industry employs over 110,000 persons on app. 4,500 production sites often in rural areas, which offer few employment opportunities.
2. Farm animals in the EU-27 consume an estimated 470 million tonnes of feed a year, of which 150 million tonnes are produced by the compound feed manufacturers. Turnover of the European compound feed industry is estimated at € 50 billion.
3. For more information see our web site (www.fefac.eu) or please contact Alexander Döring, Secretary General Tel. +32-2-285.00.50, Fax +32-2-230.57.22, e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
