Using derived products and products of animal origin in farm animal feed

Contents

  • Background
  • What do we mean by farmed animal?
  • What products of animal origin can be fed to farm animals?
  • What products of animal origin can’t be fed to farm animals?
  • Where can I source foodstuffs, no longer intended for human consumption from, for use in animals on my farm or for a business wanting to blend former foodstuffs into a feed for general sale?
  • Does the legislation prevent accidental as well as deliberate feeding of catering waste?
  • What is meant by “not the main characteristic ingredient” when determining whether a foodstuff no longer intended for human consumption can be used?
  • What is a processed animal protein?
  • What egg products can be used for farm animal feed?
  • Can flavourings containing animal proteins be used in farm animal feed?
  • What are the requirements for the use of hydrolysed proteins in farm animal feed?
  • What is the difference between blood products and bloodmeal?
  • Fishmeal
  • Dicalcium and tricalcium phosphate of animal origin
  • Gelatine
  • Collagen
  • Processed fats and fish oil

Background

The relevant EU legislation is:

  • Regulation 1069/2009 hereafter referred to as the “Control Regulation”.
  • Implementing Regulation 142/2011 hereafter referred to as the “Implementing Regulation”.

The feeding to farm animals of catering waste, kitchen scraps, raw, partially cooked and cooked meat products is prohibited under ABP legislation, in order to control the potential introduction and spread of major exotic notifiable diseases, such as Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), Classical Swine Fever (CSF) / African Swine Fever, Swine Vesicular Disease, Newcastle Disease and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). The reason cooked products are also included in the ban is that although cooking may reduce the risk; there are difficulties in effectively controlling cooking parameters, to ensure virus destruction, or storage to prevent re-contamination with raw product. Vegetables are included, as vegetable peelings may be contaminated with raw meat products during preparation in the sink.

Outbreaks of exotic notifiable disease may not only result in wide-scale destruction of farm animals, but can be of wider economic importance not only to the agriculture industry, but also to the rural economy. The Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak in 2001 resulted in large numbers of cattle and sheep being destroyed and had a huge economic impact running into millions of pounds.

Even small quantities of food contaminated with live virus, are a risk when fed to susceptible animals, which once infected, quickly become ill and a walking source of infection to other livestock. It is because of this risk that we have a blanket ban on feeding farmed animals with kitchen scraps and catering waste. The ban forms a collective national barrier to the entry of notifiable diseases and the more times it is breached the more risk there is of a major disease incident.

This ban also has an impact on reducing the spread of diseases, which may significantly impact on the animals in a single herd or flock or have public health implications such as salmonella, E.Coli, campylobacter, toxoplasma, trichinella and clostridium botulinum.

Raw, partially cooked and cooked fish products and shellfish are also included in the ban for disease risk reasons.

The Feed Ban aspects of the TSE Regulations were introduced initially in NI, during the late 1980’s, to control the spread of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), a progressively degenerative condition of the Central Nervous System. These regulations have been amended and adopted by the EC to the Regulations applicable today i.e.

  • animal proteins are banned from ruminant feed with exceptions such as milk, eggs, hydrolysed proteins and gelatine from non-ruminant origin
  • processed animal proteins are banned from use in farm animal feed with exceptions such as restricted proteins for non-ruminant feed use.

The Feed Ban in the TSE Regulations remains a cornerstone in preventing new BSE cases or new BSE-like disease developing.

What do we mean by farmed animal?

The definition in the Control Regulation is that farmed animal means:

  • any animal that is kept fattened or bred by humans and used for the production of food, wool, fur, feather, hides and skins or any other product obtained from animals or for other farming purposes
  • equidae (horses).

This includes animals of species normally kept for production purposes in the EU and also includes pet, zoo, safari park, performance or commercial animals which belong to farmed animal species. Regulation (EC) No.999/2001and domestic implementing Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies Regulations (referred to as “the TSE Regulations”) also include exotic ruminants kept in zoos or safari parks. Horses, farmed fish (not pet or ornamental fish) and rabbits (but not pet rabbits) are included.

Pet rabbits are not considered as farmed animals under the requirements for the TSE Regulations, but feed for both pet & farmed rabbits is now considered as feed for a food producing animal under an EU Regulation concerning ‘Placing on the Market and Use of Feed’ (Regulation (EC) No. 767/2009).

What products of animal origin can be fed to farm animals?

Only the following products of animal origin can be fed or included in feed products intended for farm animals, subject to sourcing, storage, use and processing according to the Control Regulations. They all must originate from low risk category 3 animal by-products (ABP). Out-of date products or products no longer intended for food use for commercial reasons can be used for feeding to farm animals, but they must still be safe and must not be, for example, decomposing, mouldy or contaminated with any foreign bodies or toxic chemicals.

No further processing is required for foodstuffs no longer intended for human consumption, but for other ABPs or processed products, processing means processed in an approved ABP processing plant or where indicated in guidance, an equivalent method in a food processing plant.

  1. Foodstuffscontaining products of animal origin no longer intended for human consumption

Bakery products (such as bread, cakes, pastry,and biscuits), pasta, chocolate, sweets and similar products such as breakfast cereals which:

  • have undergone processing* as defined in Article 2 (1)(m) of Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 (Hygiene of Foodstuffs) or in accordance with the Implementing Regulation. Under the Hygiene of Foodstuffs Regulation, ‘processing’ means any action that substantially alters the initial product, including heating, smoking, curing, maturing, drying, marinating, extraction, extrusion or a combination of those processes;
  • is composed of or contain one of the following Category 3 foodstuffs no longer intended for human consumption: milk*, milk-based products, milk-derived products, eggs*, egg products, honey, rendered fats, collagen and/or gelatine of non-ruminant origin. Foodstuffs containing rennet can also be used. and
  • do not contain, and have not been in contact with raw eggs, meat, fish, and products or preparations derived from or incorporating meat or fish.
  • in addition all necessary precautions must have been taken to prevent contamination of the material with products not eligible for feed use, such as meat, fish and products containing them.

*Most unbaked bread doughs are made from flour, water and yeast and do not contain products of animal origin. Unbaked doughs and raw pastries, which do contain products of animal origin are considered to have satisfied the processing requirement, if the product of animal origin included as an ingredient has been heat treat. This also applies to fillings and toppings. Single pasteurisation of milk and egg products would satisfy this requirement.

These can be sourced from manufacturing sources or retail premises (see further information below on the Feed Hygiene Regulation) and must not originate from or be stored in a household kitchen or catering sources such as restaurants, fast-food outlets, catering establishments etc.

2.Milk, colostrums and milk products
Under certain circumstances, for information see our Disposal, treatment and use of milk and milk productsguidance.

3.Eggs and egg products
(see further information below).

4.Food Factory Vegetable Oil/ tallow / fish oil / glycerine
Under certain circumstances, for information see our Use of oils and fats in farm animal feed guidance.

5.Hydrolysed proteins derived from parts of non-ruminants and from ruminant hides and skins
(see further information below).

6.Gelatine-derived from non-ruminants
(see further information below).

7.Restricted proteins, but only to non-ruminant animals such as pigs, poultry, farmed fish and horses.
These include:

  • fishmeal
  • dicalcium and tricalcium phosphate of animal origin
  • blood products
  • bloodmeal to farmed fish only.

Fishmeal can also be included in milk replacers for feeding to unweaned ruminants in liquid form.

Strict separation is required to prevent contamination of ruminant feed with restricted proteins or feed containing restricted proteins and to prevent ruminant access. There are registration, authorisation and permission requirements for their use under the TSE Regulations. Ruminants include cattle, sheep, goats and farmed deer. More information is available on theDAERA website.

Any feed businesses registered by DAERA Veterinary Service Animal Health Groupunder the TSE Regulations are considered as being registered as operators under Article 23 of the Control Regulation.

8.Collagen
To non ruminant animals only.

What products of animal origin can’t be fed to farm animals?

The following products of animal origin cannot be fed to farmed animals:

  • ‘Catering waste’, which means all waste food, including used cooking oil originating in restaurants, catering facilities and kitchens, including central kitchens and household kitchens. The ban covers both raw and cooked foods, used cooking oils and vegetables, and applies whether or not any of these has come into contact with meat or meat products. The feed ban also applies to vegetarian kitchens, in which products of animal origin such as milk and eggs may be used, but does not include vegan kitchens
  • raw meat and fish (including shellfish products) or products containing them
  • partially cooked and cooked meat, fish and shellfish products or products containing them
  • egg and egg products, milk and milk products or any other products of animal origin included above which have not been processed (if processing is needed) according to the requirements of the Control Regulations
  • restricted proteins (see above) cannot be fed to ruminants
  • processed animal proteins (see definition below)
  • ruminant gelatine or products containing it
  • petfood containing or contaminated with raw meat, processed animal proteins or other ineligible processed products;
  • products suitable for farm animal feeding and processed (if processing is required), which have been in contact with ineligible material for example eligible bakery products, which have been in contact with raw meat.

Where can I source foodstuffs, no longer intended for human consumption, from for use in animals on my farm or for a business wanting to blend former foodstuffs into a feed for general sale?

The Control Regulations allow certain foods, no longer intended for human consumption, to be used in farm animal feed, from premises such as bakers, supermarkets, crisp manufacturers and confectioners (although not from kitchens and restaurants based on these premises). Special approval conditions apply to supermarket or manufacturing returns. For more information see our Supermarket and manufacturing returns depots guidance.

All businesses, which supply former foods for animal feed use, must comply with the requirements ofRegulation EC No 183/2005 (the “Feed Hygiene Regulation”). To comply with the Feed Hygiene Regulation, feed businesses must observe a range of requirements relating to facilities and equipment, quality control, storage, transport and record-keeping and apply the principles of HACCP. They must also be registered with DAERA. Some of these requirements e.g. registration will also apply to farms, but some smaller farms, such as hobby farms, under certain circumstances are excluded from these requirements. Further information on the requirements of the Regulation is available from the Food Standards Agency website.

Farm premises receiving foods for animal feed that include baked goods (bread, cakes, pastry and biscuits), vegetables, pasta, chocolate, sweets, and other products, such as breakfast cereals should satisfy themselves that their supplier is aware of the Feed Hygiene Regulation and is registered with the DAERA before receiving these products.

Does the legislation prevent accidental as well as deliberate feeding of catering waste?

The Domestic Regulations prevent ABPs and catering waste, and derived products originating from catering waste, from being brought onto any premises where farmed animals are kept, in order to prevent both the deliberate and accidental feeding of such products. The legislation does not apply in situations where the person has control of the ABPs, ensuring that farmed animals are unable to access, such as:

  • to allow the application of manure and milk to land,
  • to allow the collection of dead stock or
  • for ABPs to be brought on in accordance with certain ABP approvals and authorisations.

What is a processed animal protein?

Processed animal protein are defined in the Implementing Regulations as meaning, “animal protein derived entirely from category 3 material, which have been treated in accordance with Section 1 of Chapter II of Annex X (including blood meal and fishmeal), so as to render them:

  • suitable for direct use as feed material
  • for any other use in feedingstuffs, including petfood, or
  • for use in organic fertilisers or soil improvers.

However it does not include blood products, milk, milk-based products, milk derived products, colostrum, colostrum products, centrifuge or separator sludge, gelatine, hydrolysed proteins, dicalcium phosphate, eggs and egg products including egg shells, tricalcium phosphate and collagen.”

The legislation is complicated, but for example, in circumstances where a category 3 derived mammalian meat and bone meal (mmbm) is not treated to method 1, it will not be considered a processed animal protein. This, however, makes no practical difference as neither category 3 mmbm, as a processed animal protein, nor category 3 mmbm as a derived product, could be used for feeding to farmed animals.

What egg products can be used for farm animal feed?

Eggs or egg products must have been processed before use in farm animal feed in either an approved ABP processing plant or a food factory. At a food factory they would need to have been treated in accordance withRegulation (EC) No.853/2004 (Food Hygiene Regulation), which sets out the hygiene and safety requirements for the marketing of egg and egg products for food businesses. They cannot be sourced from a kitchen or from a retail or supermarket store. Egg shells will need to have been processed in an ABP approved processing plant, prior to use as grit for poultry.

Can flavourings containing animal proteins be used in farm animal feed?

Foodstuffs no longer intended for human consumption, such as flavoured crisps and other similar products, where the flavourings contain animal proteins, can be used for feeding non-ruminant animals such as poultry, pigs and horses, but not for feeding ruminant animals such as sheep and cattle. This is related to the specific prohibitions in the TSE Regulations and the level of food processing required for the very low levels of animal proteins present in flavoured crisp and other similar products.

What are the requirements for the use of hydrolysed proteins in farm animal feed?

Hydrolysed protein must originate from parts of non-ruminants or ruminant hides and skins and have been processed in an approved ABP processing plant. Hydrolysed proteins have not previously been included in farm animal feed due to the difficulty in confirming that hydrolysed proteins have a molecular weight below 10,000 Dalton. The 10,000 Dalton limit now only applies to hydrolysed protein derived from ruminant hides and skins. Currently no plants are approved to produce hydrolysed protein in NI. Businesses wanting to process ABPs into hydrolysed proteins for animal feed use will still need to comply with the requirements of the TSE Regulations and ensure that hydrolysed proteins being used for farm animal feed do not contain animal tissues, such as bone fragments, feather fragments and muscle fibres. This will involve satisfying DAERA Veterinary Service Animal Health Group that the process:

  • can consistently produce final product, which achieves negative test results for the presence of animal tissues on Microscopic Analysis Testing (MAT) at the National Reference Laboratory, APHA Newcastle (cost of testing is to be borne by the business)
  • continues to achieve negative test results for the presence of animal tissues on Microscopic Analysis Testing (MAT) at the National Reference Laboratory, APHA Newcastle (cost of testing is to be borne by the business).

Hydrolysed proteins must be produced using a production process involving appropriate measures to minimise contamination.