FEFAC calls for heightened control at the top of the feed chain to minimize risk

We caught up with Peter Radewahn, chairman of FEFAC’s animal nutrition committee, after he spoke at the FIAAP conference during feed technology show, VICTAM 2015, in Cologne earlier this month.

He said experience proves that the later in the chain a contamination case is identified, the more difficult and costly it will be to manage it correctly. 

As regards the EU feed additive re-authorization process, he said the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) needs to be thorough in its dossier evaluation and delays are to be expected.  “We need to be able to rely on feed additive safety assessments,” ​said Radewahn.

Nevertheless, he said he sees the Authority as not always adhering strictly to their risk assessment remit and getting more and more involved in risk management decisions - a factor that is slowing down the feed additive re-evaluation process somewhat, he added.

Data exchange on emerging risks.​

And a heightened level of international exchange is required is to map emerging feed risks, said Radewahn.

The recent AGM of FEFAC, held during the Cologne show, focused on the future cooperation between official and private sector controls on feed safety management.

In order to improve efficiency of this model, a panel discussion also acknowledged the value of cooperation between authorities and operators through better information and data exchange on emerging risks.

The panelists included Ruben Tascon, head of feed controls unit at the Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) of the European Commission, Herman Diricks, CEO of website of the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) in Belgium, Keith Millar, head of animal feed sector, TSEs and animal by-products, at the UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) in the UK and Dr Gerd Fricke, head of division for food safety at the German Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety.

The ‘earned recognition’ of feed safety management systems developed by UK operators, and the development of self-checking guides in Belgium were mentioned as positive developments to illustrate the importance of transparency and trust among feed chain partners.

FEFAC has produced a report on its vision of feed safety management. It can be read here​.