Animal feed regulation

As many contagious diseases are passed through the food chain, regular inspections are required for both producers and users of animal feed. Regulations are in place to make sure that animal feed is produced and used safely, and can be traced in the event of a food or feed safety incident.

The current legislation requires that businesses involved in the production, use, transportation, storage or marketing of animal feeds must be registered or approved by us or another appropriate agency.

How to register or get approval

If your business or activity falls into one of these categories and you are not already registered, you must do so. To be registered or approved by us, you must meet specific requirement:

• Feed hygiene primary production regulations (PDF) [84KB]  (Primary production means the production, rearing and growing of basic ingredients including harvesting, milking and farming animals prior to slaughter, as well as hunting, fishing and harvesting wild products.
• Feed hygiene non-primary production regulations (PDF) [103KB]

Businesses covered by the law

There are a wide variety of premises that require to be registered or approved with us. This includes not only the manufacturers of animal feed and pet food but also:

Businesses that need approval

The manufacture and/or selling of certain feed additives. These activities cover premises that both manufacture and sell, and buy and sell, products.

• A1 - Manufacture and/or selling of nutritional additives. This includes vitamins, pro-vitamins and chemically defined substances having a similar effect; trace elements; amino acids, their salts and analogues and urea and its derivatives.
• A2 - Manufacturer and/selling of zootechnical additives such as digestibility enhancers, gut flora stabilisers and substances which favourably affect the environment. This includes enzymes and micro-organisms.
• A3 - Manufacture and/or selling of antioxidant additives with a maximum content in feeds specified in EC Feed Hygiene Regulations 183/2005. This covers propyl gallate, octyl gallate, dodecyl gallate, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), ethoxyquin.
• A4 - Manufacture and/or selling of colorant additives: carotenoids and xanthophylls.
• A5 - Manufacture and/or selling of proteins obtained from micro-organisms belonging to groups of bacteria, yeast, algae and lower fungi.
• A6 - Manufacture and/or selling of co-products of the manufacture of amino acids by fermentation. These products were previously covered by Council Directive 82/471/EEC on Certain Products (Bio-proteins) and are now authorised under the previous regulations

The manufacture and/or selling of premixtures containing certain feed additives. These activities cover premises that both manufacture and sell, and also those premises that do not manufacture but buy and sell products.

• A7 - Manufacture and/or placing on the market of premixtures containing vitamins A and D.
• A8 - Manufacture and/or placing on the market of premixtures containing copper and selenium

Businesses that need registration

• R1 - Manufacture and/or selling of feed additives (other than those subject to approval). These activities cover premises that both manufacture and sell, and also those premise that do not manufacture but buy and sell products. This includes preservatives, emulsifiers, stabilisers, thickeners, gelling agents, binders, anti-caking agents, acidity regulators, antioxidants (not subject to a maximum permitted level), silage agents, denaturants, substances to control radionuclide contamination, colourants (except carotenoids and xanthophylls).
• R2 - Manufacture and/or selling of premixtures (other than those subject to approval). This includes premixtures containing any feed additive excluding vitamins A and D and copper and selenium.
• R3 - Manufacture and/or selling of bio-proteins ('certain products') not subject to approval. These activities cover premises that both manufacture and sell, and also those premise that do not manufacture but buy and sell products. This includes urea and its salts, ammonium salts, amino acids and their salts, analogues of amino acids.
• R4 - Manufacture of compound feeding stuffs (other than those subject to approval). This includes the manufacture of complete and complementary feeds, with or without additives.
• R5 - Selling compound feeds. this covers premises engaged in the buying and selling of compound feeds but not manufacturing such feeds.
• R6 - Manufacture of pet foods. This includes the manufacture of complete and complementary feeds with or without additives.
• R7 - Manufacture and/or selling of feed materials. These activities cover premises that both manufacture and sell, and also those premise that do not manufacture but buy and sell products. Feed materials are products which are intended as ingredients of compound feeds or which can be fed singly to animals (eg cereal or cereal products).
• R8 - Transport of feed and feed products. This includes the premises of businesses that transport feed materials, compound feed, feed additives and pre-mixtures. Transport of feed and feed product by manufacturers own vehicles are covered by the approval/registration of the manufacturer's premises.
• R9 - Storage of feed and feed products. Only covers premises not covered by another approval/registration activity relating to the manufacturer or placing on the market of the products in question. In other words, it excludes storage facilities at a manufacturer's or transporter's premises.

Farms

• R10 - Mixing feeds, on farms, with additives and premixtures. This activity is subject to registration under existing legislation (EC Directive 95/69 as implemented by the Feeding Stuffs) (Establishment and Intermediaries) Regulations 1999). It covers cases where farms buy in additives and pre-mixtures products (ie not contained in a compound feed) and mix them with feeds (forage, cereals etc).
• R11 - Mixing feeds, on farms, with compound feeding stuffs which contain additives. This activity is subject to registration under existing legislation (EC Directive 95/69) as implemented by the Feeding Stuffs (Establishment and Intermediaries) Regulations 1999).

Certain other activities are subject to the provisions of the Feed Hygiene Regulation which have not been specifically identified above. These include:

• R12 - Food businesses selling co-products of the food industry which are destined as feed materials. This includes brewers, distillers, dairies and food manufactures carrying out such an activity.
• R13 - Livestock farms which do not mix feeds or mix feeds without additives. This includes fish farms.
• R14 - Arable farms growing or selling crops for feed.

See Food Standards Agency: animal feed legislation for a full list of activities that are covered by the regulations.