FSA Advises Ministers on EU Feed Ban Proposals

While the FSA’s role is to advise on food safety and the interests of consumers in relation to food, the decision on whether or not the UK should support the proposed changes to the feed ban will be for ministers, with negotiations led by Defra.

Sep 21 2011 --- The FSA has written to Government ministers setting out its advice not to support European Commission proposals that the European Union should relax a ban on using pig and poultry processed animal proteins (PAP) in feed.

The advice follows the FSA Board’s discussion at its meeting in Cardiff on 7 September. Although the Board accepted that the available risk assessments showed that the proposed changes would give rise to a negligible risk, they were concerned that this relied on effective enforcement of controls.

The Board also believed a highly precautionary approach to transmissible spongiform encephalopathy diseases continues to be justified. Having carefully considered the responses to the stakeholder engagement process, it could identify no real benefit from the change that would justify putting consumers at any additional risk, however tiny.

While the FSA’s role is to advise on food safety and the interests of consumers in relation to food, the decision on whether or not the UK should support the proposed changes to the feed ban will be for ministers, with negotiations led by Defra.