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Listen to this siteThursday 10 June 2010
The Advisory Committee on Animal Feedingstuffs (ACAF) held its meeting on 3 June 2010 in York. It gave an opportunity for interested parties and members of the public to observe how this government advisory committee operates, and to follow the debate on a range of animal feed issues.
David Maxwell of Vivergo Fuels Ltd gave a presentation on biofuel production and the impact on the feed sector. Members agreed to review and update ACAF’s position paper on the impact of biofuel production on the safety, composition and availability of animal feed.
Following this, a discussion was held on a paper proposing items to be included in an industry guide aimed at minimising the amount of packaging material in feed produced from recycled human food. It was agreed that observations in this area should be sent to the European Commission with a recommendation that the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) undertake a risk assessment of packaging residues in feed.
Members were updated on developments concerning the use of trace element additives to fortify animal feeds in preparation for discussion at a future meeting where they will be asked to consider issues relating to copper and selenium toxicity in animals.
The committee discussed recent developments on maximum residue limits (MRLs) for nicarbazin products. Members were informed that recent EFSA opinions proposed MRLs in the tissues of broilers. It is expected that the European Commission will propose legislation on this issue. In the future, ACAF (in liaison with the Veterinary Residues Committee) may be called upon to provide advice on coccidiostat residues in feed and food once MRLs have been established.
The next ACAF meeting is scheduled to take place at the Food Standards Agency’s Aviation House headquarters in London on 22 September 2010.
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