CONSIDERATION OF THE DRAFT CODE OF PRACTICE ON GOOD ANIMAL FEEDING[24] (Agenda Item 4d)

45. The 22^nd Session of the Commission (July 1997) noted the outcome of the FAO Expert Consultation on Animal Feeding and Food Safety[25] and agreed[26] that the Draft Code of Practice for Good Animal Feeding should be referred to the CCRVDF and other Codex committees for consideration, with the coordinating role taken by the Executive Committee. Discussions held at the Codex Committees on Food Hygiene (October 1997), Food Additives and Contaminants (March 1998) and Pesticide Residues (April 1998) were summarized in document CX/RVDF 98/5; discussions held at the 45^th Session of the Executive Committee were summarized in document CX/RVDF 98/2-Add. 1.

46. The representative of FAO, Dr. J. Paakkanen, highlighted the conclusions of the Consultation, and noted that most recommendations of the meeting were already incorporated into the draft Code of Practice.

47. In discussing the report and recommendations of the Consultation, the Committee identified several issues which might require further attention, specifically:

• quality control of feeds, especially medicated feeds, at manufacture (e.g. dose control);

• procedures for handling complaints and managing product recalls;

• requirements for treatment and /or exclusion of specific types of meat/fish meals as components of animal feeds;

• inclusion of a section on good feeding practices;

• inclusion of specific elements of the code into industry quality assurance (QA) programs; and

• inclusion of appropriate QA procedures to ensure adequate pathogen controls and control of contamination of feeds, including carry-over contamination.

48. With regard to medicated feed, some delegations suggested the inclusion of appropriate antimicrobial resistance-related recommendations of the Report of the WHO Meeting on the Medical Impact of the Use of Antimicrobial Drugs in Food Animals (Berlin, 13-17 October 1997)[27] and other consultations addressing this issue. The Committee expressed divergent opinions as to the use of antibiotics in medicated feeds, including substances used for growth promotion, and a final decision was not reached. With regard to treatment and/or exclusion of specific types of components in animal feed, some delegations suggested the inclusion of more specific recommendations relating to transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) as made by expert Consultations addressing this issue (also see paras. 14-16). It was also suggested that the Executive Committee should clearly identify the role of each Codex committee, or assign the continued consideration of the Code to one specific Committee.

49. The Committee agreed to refer the above discussions and suggestions to the Executive Committee for its consideration.