Compound feedingstuffs: marketing, tracing, labelling (amend. Directive 79/373/EEC)

The Commission presents its report to the Parliament and the Council on the possible establishment of a positive, or exclusive, list of feed materials. The report is the result of many months' reflection, including a feasibility study to examine different options to establish, manage and amend a positive list. During the conciliation procedure concerning the adoption of Directive 2002/2/EC which changed the rules on the labelling of compound feedingstuffs, the Council and the Parliament agreed on a recital stating the following: on the basis of a feasibility study, the Commission will submit a report to the European Parliament and the Council by 31 December 2002, accompanied by an appropriate proposal for the establishment of a positive list, taking into account the conclusions of the report. The Commission reacted to such a statement considering that it affects its right of initiative making a statement for the record of the conciliation committee. In the same statement the Commission also drew attention to the complexity of the establishment of such positive list. The present report clarifies the concept of a positive list of feed materials: it is an exclusive list of materials that upon assessment are considered safe for human and animal health and can therefore be used in animal feed. This means that only feed materials included on the list can be used by business operators. In addition, it analyses the implications of the adoption of such a list by the European Union, in relation to trade, labelling, national and regional diversity, and innovation on the feed sector and environment, in particular highlighting its implications for feed and food safety. The report examines different ways to guarantee feed safety as, for example, lists of feed materials, legislation regarding manufacturing processes and codes of practice to be used by feed business operators. Finally the report concludes that the establishment of a positive list is not decisive in ensuring feed safety. However the Commission recognises the interest of a list of feed materials for the purposes of trade, labelling, traceability and fraud prevention. Therefore the conclusion of the report is that the establishment of a positive list does not contribute to feed safety and, in consequence, the Commission will not present a proposal in order to make such a list. It considers that the improvement of the safety of feed requires measures: - to lay down provisions for feed hygiene; - to improve existing provisions for feed controls; - to enlarge the scope of the legislation concerning the list of ingredients whose use is prohibited in feed; - to extend the existing non-exclusive list of feed materials for labelling and traceability purposes; and - to recast feed labelling provisions.�