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codexalimentarius > Themes > Animal Feed

Animal Feed

Good animal feeding plays a vital role in animal health & welfare and in the production of safe and quality products of animal origin. The increasing demand for proteins of animal origin has led to intensification of livestock production, mainly based on the use of industrial compound feed. This has led to an increasing use of selected feed grains and fodder seeds, pesticides and fertilizers, new and unconventional materials in the production of feed such as biofuel by-products and several others agro-industrial by-products. In the past years, several contamination episodes have raised attention on the importance of ensuring feed safety and on the need to prevent and control the presence of old and new hazards, such as dioxin, aflatoxins and other undesirable substances.

The role of Codex in Animal Feed

The link between safe feed and safe food is now well recognized; in particular the modern approach to food safety identifies measures to minimize and prevent and the entry of hazards at the early stages of the production chain, including the primary production of the feed grains and fodder. This has led to a greater awareness of the primary producers, including the farmers and the feed sector to their contribution and responsibility to the production of safe and quality food.

Recognizing the importance of animal feeding to the production of safe food, Codex has established two dedicated Task Forces, which have developed texts aiming at providing guidance to governments on good animal feeding practice and on the conduct of risk assessment and prioritization of hazards in feed. Work relevant to animal feed is also carried out in other Codex committees when this impact of food safety in relation to contaminants, residues of pesticides and veterinary drugs, food hygiene and inspection and certification.

Codex work on animal feeding only addresses food safety and does not cover those issues of animal welfare, other than food safety related animal health issues. Environmental contaminants are considered where the level of such substances in the feed and feed ingredients could present a risk to consumer health from the consumption of foods of animal origin. Mainstreaming animal feeding aspects in the work of Codex is an explicit recognition of the role and responsibility of the feed sector to the production of safe and quality food.

Related Codex Texts

Reference Title Committee Last modified
EN
FR
ES
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CXA 4-1989Classification of Foods and Animal FeedsCCPR1993
CXC 45-1997Code of Practice for the Reduction of Aflatoxin B1 in Raw Materials and Supplemental Feedingstuffs for Milk-Producing AnimalsCCCF1997
CXC 54-2004Code of Practice on Good Animal FeedingTFAF2008
CXG 80-2013Guidelines on the Application of Risk Assessment for FeedTFAF2013
CXG 81-2013Guidance for Governments on Prioritizing Hazards in FeedTFAF2013

News

Codex experts discuss risks of contamination in feed from carryover

More than 350 participants gathered online on Thursday 25 March 2021 to learn more about the risks of contamination of animal food and feed from carryover – a process of feed contamination that can occur during feed processing, handling, transportation, delivery or in feeding animals on-farm, when residues of veterinary drugs are unintentionally transferred to a food-producing animal. The meeting was an opportunity to discuss the publication of an FAO/WHO expert meeting report entitled Carryover in feed and transfer from feed [...]
06 April 2021

Webinar - 5 February 12:00 CET / Good practices for the feed sector matter

A webinar taking place on 5 February 2021, 12:00-13:30 CET, entitled Feed safety – Good Practices for the Feed Sector Matter, will bring together experts from FAO and the International Feed Industry Federation (IFIF) to discuss the importance of feed safety in the sustainable production of safe food of animal origin. The event will also see the launch of a new manual on implementing the Codex Alimentarius Code of Practice on Good Animal Feeding. Primary producers, including farmers and the feed [...]
02 February 2021

Voluntary third-party assurance adding value to National Food Control Systems

Steve Wearne, Vice-Chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, from the United Kingdom, spoke at the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Agreement (or SPS) committee’s thematic session on 3 November 2020, to explain the value that voluntary third-party assurance (vTPA) can add to National Food Control Systems.  Participants heard about the UK experience of using vTPA data in a new approach to animal feed inspection and enforcement, which has achieved an 83 percent reduction in official inspections, while investing more than ever [...]
16 November 2020

FAO webinar: data gathering on antimicrobial usage at national level: 15 October 11:00

A joint seminar/webinar organized by FAO Animal Production and Health Division, the Statistics Division and the FAO Livestock Technical Network entitled: How can we improve data gathering on antimicrobial usage at national level? Lessons from Uganda. will take place on Thursday 15 October 2020 from 11:00-12:00 (GMT+2).   Zoom Registration. Click here for further details.
02 October 2020

EU Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed / 40 years of keeping consumers safe

The European Union (EU) is celebrating the 40 years of the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed. Food safety is an issue of national and international significance, an issue that affects all countries and has a substantial impact on both public health and economic activity. Operating since 1979, RASFF is one of the great success stories of the EU’s integrated approach to food safety, showing the power of communication and collaboration. By providing a system for the swift exchange of [...]
15 January 2020

Managing the risk of veterinary drug transfer through feed to food

Medicated feed is one important route for administering veterinary medicinal products to animals, in particular to animals intended for food production. It can be difficult to administer a veterinary drug to an animal, especially in the case of smaller species typically reared in large groups such as a flock of birds or a school of fish where there would be hundreds of animals that all need to be treated at the same time. The use of medicated feed provides an simple, [...]
24 January 2019
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Key Facts

  • The consumption of animal products continues to rise worldwide and will continue doing so over the decades to come - driving up demand for animal feed products.
  • Feed safety impacts not just the health of animals but also that of producers, handlers and consumers.
  • The Codex Code of Practice on good Animal Feeding establishes a feed safety system for food producing animals which covers the whole food chain.