The directorate-general for health and safety of the European Commission is requesting stakeholders' opinions on the 2003 regulation on additives for use in animal nutrition in the European Union (EU).
Comments will be accepted until September 25 to enable the department, also known as DG Sante, to review Regulation No.1831/2003. Specifically, the focus will be on how well the legislation has performed in delivering its objectives, and whether it is still relevant to the needs of today’s society, and other Commission priorities.
This is the first opportunity for the regulation — which came into force in October 2003 as part of the General Food Law in the EU — to be fully evaluated to identify, for example, difficulties in its implementation. Among possible concerns to be examined is the complexity of the procedures, which involve the European Commission, Member States and feed additive companies.
Main criteria for the evaluation are relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, coherence, and added value for the EU. Any unexpected consequences of the regulation will also be considered.
Over the 13 years that the legislation has been in force, some difficulties that have emerged are the criteria for determining the efficacy of feed additives, modification of existing authorizations, labeling rules, and confidentiality of the authorization files.
Consultations with stakeholders
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and Member State authorities will conduct targeted consultations with the relevant business associations (FEFAC, FEFANA, FEDIAF), and comments from the Member States will be collected by the European Commission’s Standing Committee for Plants, Animals, Food and Feed.
Among the key stakeholders identified for consultation will be the individual national regulatory authorities and consumer organizations, as well as individuals, businesses and associations representing the feed additive, feed and livestock sectors.
In the fourth quarter of 2017, consultation will be open to the public for three months, after which a summary of all the consultation activities will be published.
