Undesirable substance" more commonly known as contaminants – in EU legislation on animal nutrition means any substance or product, with the exception of pathogenic agents, present in and/or on the product intended for animal feed which presents a potential danger to human health, animal health or the environment or do not adversely affect livestock production.3 The range of substances covered by the Directive comprises arsenic, lead, mercury, dioxin and certain mustards. Generally, these undesirable substances are either naturally-occurring environmental contaminants that are present at low levels in feed and food products, particularly vegetable crops drawing nutrients directly from the soil, or are process contaminants that may be introduced into the feeding stuff either during or as a consequence of its treatment, manufacture and storage.
In recent year, there were five notifications issued for pet food from Thailand containing too high levels of arsenic. The feed for pet animals contained a significant proportion of fish as feed material. This feed material is known to sometimes contain a high level of total trace elements typically arsenic, cadmium and lead, however the presence of trace elements in these feed materials is mainly organic compounds, which is the less toxic form. Therefore a draft Regulation proposing to modify the current maximum level of heavy metal in complementary feed.
As regards nitrite, for products and by-products from sugar beet and sugarcane and from the starch production, this implement apply from alcoholic drink production because the time being was no maximum level. Moreover this implementation was apply the maximum level of rapeseed cakes to establish the maximum level of volatile mustard oil in Camelina sativa and derived products also in feed material derived from Brassica species.
Moreover , this amending are relate to the method for determination of lead in kaolinitic clay and in feed containing kaolinitic clay, Recently , the European Union Reference Laboratory for heavy metals in feed and food (EURL–HM) have identified for a significant difference of the analytical results obtained by the application of different extraction methods between currently used for the determination of lead in kaolinitic clay and feed containing kaolinitic clay. this regulation recommend that for the determination of lead in kaolinitic clay and in feed containing kaolinitic clay, the maximum level refers to an analytical determination of lead, whereby extraction is performed in nitric acid (5 % w/w) for 30 minutes at boiling temperature. Equivalent extraction procedures can be applied for which it can be demonstrated that the used extraction procedure has an equal extraction efficiency.’The complete list can be found in the Annex I of this (EU) No 1275/2013 regulation.
This Directive applies to all products intended for animal feed, including raw materials for feed, additives and complementary feeding stuffs and intended to control undesirable substances which can occur naturally in feedingstuffs, such as heavy metals, dioxins, toxic weed seeds, mycotoxins, etc. Since it is impossible to eliminate most of these substances from feedingstuffs, maximum permitted levels are fixed at a level which prevents adverse effects on animal or consumer health. The Regulation applies to all feeds fed to all animals, including pets and animals in the wild.
Where a feedingstuff contains an undesirable substance in excess of the maximum permitted level, it must be removed from the feed chain.
The Regulation also introduces a provision designed to reduce or eliminate certain sources of contamination. When the background level for an undesirable substance is exceeded Member States are required to investigate the cause of the contamination and take appropriate action. In order to ensure a harmonized approach between Member States, provision is made in the Regulation for the fixing of Action Thresholds in certain cases.