Animal feed: hygiene requirements and traceability of feed

The European Parliament adopted the report by Hedwig KEPPELHOFF-WIECHERT (EPP-ED, D) broadly approving the proposal subject to a number of amendments. The Parliament has included the following amendments: - experience has also shown that it is necessary to ensure that all feed businesses including aquaculture operate in conformity with harmonised safety requirements and that it is necessary to conduct a general review to take into account the need to ensure a higher level of protection of animal and human health, and of the environment; - in order to ensure the complete application of the registration and approval system to all the feed business operators and, consequently, to guarantee full traceability it is appropriate to ensure that feed business operators only source and use feed from establishments which are registered and/or approved in accordance with this Regulation; - the primary production of feed includes products which only undergo simple physical treatment such as cleaning, packaging, storage, natural drying or ensiling; - it is necessary to take into consideration the fact that the risk is less if feed is produced and used for animals only used for domestic consumption or for animals which are not used at all in food production. The trade of small quantities of feed products at local level and the retailing of petfood shall have particular treatment in the framework of this Regulation; - it is appropriate to ensure that operations carried out by a feed business at the level of primary production of feed, including associated operations as well as the mixing of feed with complementary feedingstuffs for the exclusive requirements of its own holding are not obliged to follow the HACCP; - a system of registration and approval by the competent authority of the Member State of all feed businesses is appropriate to ensure traceability from manufacturer to final user and to facilitate the implementation of effective official controls. The existing systems for collection of data concerning feed businesses may be used by the competent authority of the Member States to start up and implement the system provided for in this Regulation. Provision should be made for these conditions to be varied to ensure that they are appropriate to the various types of feed business. It is appropriate to allow Member States to grant conditional approval of establishments if it appears from the on-site visit that the establishment meets all the infrastructures and equipment requirements. However it is also appropriate to set a maximum length of time for such conditional approval. However, establishing a general mandatory system of financial liability and financial guarantees, for example through insurance, which applies to all feed business operators, may not be feasible or appropriate. The Commission should therefore consider this issue in greater depth, taking into account provisions in existing legislation with regard to liability in other spheres, as well as existing systems and practices amongst the Member States. To this end, the Commission should present a report, accompanied, where appropriate by legislative proposals. In order to avoid trade disruptions it is appropriate that, pending the completion of the implementing measures, imports shall continue to be authorised under the conditions laid down in Directive 98/51/EC; - it is appropriate to broaden the scope of the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed laid down by Regulation 178/2002/EC to include risks to animal health or the environment from feed used for non food producing animals; - to prepare for an effective system of financial guarantees for feed business operators, the Commission shall submit a report on financial guarantees in the feed sector, within 12 months of the entry into force of this Regulation, which, in addition to examining the existing national legal provisions, systems and practices relating to liability in the feed sector and related sectors, shall be accompanied, where appropriate, by legislative proposals for such a feasible and practicable guarantee system at EU level. These guarantees should provide cover for the total costs for which operators could be held liable as a direct consequence of the withdrawal from the market, treatment and/or destruction of any feed, animals and food produced therefrom. The competent authority may grant conditional approval if it appears from the on-site visit that the establishment meets all the infrastructure and equipment requirements. It shall grant full approval only if it appears from a new on-site visit carried out within three months of granting conditional approval that the establishment meets the other requirements referred to in the previous paragraph. If clear progress has been made but the establishment still does not meet all of these requirements, the competent authority may prolong conditional approval. However, conditional approval shall not exceed a total of six months.�