March 5, 2010: FEFAC publishes revised EFMC 1.1 following successful assessment by EU standing committee

 Following a suggestion by the EU Standing Committee, FEFAC introduced in its European Feed Manufacturers’ Guide (EFMC) further hygiene provisions for the manufacturing and delivery of medicated feed for food producing animals. The new section essentially deals with the role of veterinarians in the prescription and supervision of the manufacturing of medicated feed, as well as measures to minimise the carry-over from medicated feed to non-target feed. The new chapter providing detailed guidance on HACCP implementation takes into account conclusions of the joint FEFAC/COPA-COGECA feed safety workshop conducted with the support of the European Commission and the EP in February 2009. This updated version of the EFMC received the final positive assessment of the EU Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health at its meeting on 23-24 November 2009.

FEFAC president, Mr Pedro Correa de Barros, stated that ”the successful assessment by the Standing Committee of the revised EFMC 1.1 is living proof that the new better regulation approach of the EU in the area of feed and food safety legislation is working. European feed manufacturers have fully embraced the co-regulation approach by investing continuously in improved feed safety assurance. Their commitment is greatly facilitated by the close interaction with competent authorities who have engaged in a transparent, critical dialogue with operators by addressing any emerging feed safety hazard and identifying risk-proportionate management solutions”. The EFMC has become the cornerstone of any modern, risk-based feed safety assurance system implemented at company level. More than 20 national member associations have adopted the EFMC as a key reference for the national feed safety assurance system.