Final Report Summary - FEED-SEG (Healthy Feed for Safety - Dissemination of research results of EC funded research on feed quality)
The project brought together experts from academia, industry and decision-makers to exchange know-how, to discuss, and to prepare recommendations for the future policy development in the EU on feed quality and safety. This networking group has also identified the most promising research fields in feed safety to improve and develop healthy feed for the safety of humans and livestock. The objective was to bridge the research results of various existing EU-projects (REPLACE, FEED for PIG HEALTH, SAFEWASTES,
) which are all focusing on feed-research in the future and therefore to identify new research topics, policies and tendencies for the prospective development within the EU. One important topic was to identify effective alternatives to the use of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) which are banned in the EU since 2006.
The 30-months project activities included the promotion and facilitation of the dissemination, exploitation and transfer of current EC-funded research projects' results during international symposia, and the project integrated researchers and experts from the New Member States (NMS) and Associated Candidate Countries (ACC).
Within the FEED-SEG project, two International Symposia with well reputed speakers (experts not only from academia and industry but also from official organisations as e. g. EFSA, FEFANA and FEDIAF etc.) entitled 'Plant-derived feed additives - Recent scientific results and regulatory development' were held, one symposium launched after the first year of the project in Mosonmagyaróvár / Hungary from 14 to 15 January 2008 and one final symposium in the second year in Parma / Italy from 30 March to 1 April 2009, both with more than 100 participants. The feedback of both symposia was very positive.
The FEED-SEG-group also organised and held five workshops for all project partners with specifically invited international experts.
As part of the project a major survey was conducted. The main objective of this survey was to get an overall representative picture of the current development in the field of animal feed in EU Member States, NMS and ACC. The increasing production of food from animal origin and the resulting increasing requirement of animal nutrition show the importance of improving the conditions in all fields of animal feed. To maintain the safety of livestock and therefore the safety of human consumers, it is necessary to implement a standardized system for quality management to enable an efficient and sustainable surveillance of production and distribution of animal feed in all countries.
The results of the survey show that there are partly big differences between European countries in many fields concerning animal feed. Due to the financial situation of some states there is a lack of research funding. By enhancing the regional and international cooperation between the European countries, it should be possible to adjust the level of development at least in knowledge. An active exchange of information between experts will make it easier to find collective possibilities to manage issues like residues, impurities, pathogens, antibiotics or respective the ban of antibiotic growth promoters, and to establish (on European level) valid threshold-values for toxins and other food / feed contaminants.
The open borders of the EU Member States are considered as a high risk factor, for example for transmission and introduction of new viral infections, leading to the emergence of infectious diseases both in humans and in animals. Considering this risk, there is a high need for launching new research programmes of the EU in the field of microbial contamination of food and feed products, improved detection and identification of infectious agents, such as viruses and bacteria, with special regard to transboundary animal diseases and zoonotic infections. The problem in this field is also the difficulty to detect contaminants due to an insufficient equipment of laboratories primarily in the 'net recipients'. There is requirement of implementation of screening and confirmation methods, e. g. specific analytical methods for antibiotic residues. The responsibility of prime feedstuff producers should be strengthened (especially the feed components, safety and traceability). The appropriate control of feed components imported from third countries is desirable.
When it comes to quality assurance and risk assessment, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) procedures in food production are not yet implemented in every European country, but they are the base for a standardised level to provide feed and food safety. Implementation in some countries is still very poor due to incompetent inspection system. Level of education is sometimes low, traditional approach is still in use - they check every single sample instead of systematic monitoring and risk analysis.
Main problems which should be solved are capacity building, funds, clear and transparent national food and feed safety strategy and more harmonized legislation with EU-standard developed operational procedures. We have to continue to invest in the development of new approaches to stimulate and support animal health with new feeding strategies, including new alternative feed additives aimed to further support animal health and improved animal breeding with emphasis on robustness and capacity to resist disease.
In addition, the FEED-SEG project produced a number of recommendations for the European Commission and so it contributes to EU-policy. Recommendations to policy-makers and recommendations on future important research topics have been developed by the three working groups.
The 30-months project activities included the promotion and facilitation of the dissemination, exploitation and transfer of current EC-funded research projects' results during international symposia, and the project integrated researchers and experts from the New Member States (NMS) and Associated Candidate Countries (ACC).
Within the FEED-SEG project, two International Symposia with well reputed speakers (experts not only from academia and industry but also from official organisations as e. g. EFSA, FEFANA and FEDIAF etc.) entitled 'Plant-derived feed additives - Recent scientific results and regulatory development' were held, one symposium launched after the first year of the project in Mosonmagyaróvár / Hungary from 14 to 15 January 2008 and one final symposium in the second year in Parma / Italy from 30 March to 1 April 2009, both with more than 100 participants. The feedback of both symposia was very positive.
The FEED-SEG-group also organised and held five workshops for all project partners with specifically invited international experts.
As part of the project a major survey was conducted. The main objective of this survey was to get an overall representative picture of the current development in the field of animal feed in EU Member States, NMS and ACC. The increasing production of food from animal origin and the resulting increasing requirement of animal nutrition show the importance of improving the conditions in all fields of animal feed. To maintain the safety of livestock and therefore the safety of human consumers, it is necessary to implement a standardized system for quality management to enable an efficient and sustainable surveillance of production and distribution of animal feed in all countries.
The results of the survey show that there are partly big differences between European countries in many fields concerning animal feed. Due to the financial situation of some states there is a lack of research funding. By enhancing the regional and international cooperation between the European countries, it should be possible to adjust the level of development at least in knowledge. An active exchange of information between experts will make it easier to find collective possibilities to manage issues like residues, impurities, pathogens, antibiotics or respective the ban of antibiotic growth promoters, and to establish (on European level) valid threshold-values for toxins and other food / feed contaminants.
The open borders of the EU Member States are considered as a high risk factor, for example for transmission and introduction of new viral infections, leading to the emergence of infectious diseases both in humans and in animals. Considering this risk, there is a high need for launching new research programmes of the EU in the field of microbial contamination of food and feed products, improved detection and identification of infectious agents, such as viruses and bacteria, with special regard to transboundary animal diseases and zoonotic infections. The problem in this field is also the difficulty to detect contaminants due to an insufficient equipment of laboratories primarily in the 'net recipients'. There is requirement of implementation of screening and confirmation methods, e. g. specific analytical methods for antibiotic residues. The responsibility of prime feedstuff producers should be strengthened (especially the feed components, safety and traceability). The appropriate control of feed components imported from third countries is desirable.
When it comes to quality assurance and risk assessment, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) procedures in food production are not yet implemented in every European country, but they are the base for a standardised level to provide feed and food safety. Implementation in some countries is still very poor due to incompetent inspection system. Level of education is sometimes low, traditional approach is still in use - they check every single sample instead of systematic monitoring and risk analysis.
Main problems which should be solved are capacity building, funds, clear and transparent national food and feed safety strategy and more harmonized legislation with EU-standard developed operational procedures. We have to continue to invest in the development of new approaches to stimulate and support animal health with new feeding strategies, including new alternative feed additives aimed to further support animal health and improved animal breeding with emphasis on robustness and capacity to resist disease.
In addition, the FEED-SEG project produced a number of recommendations for the European Commission and so it contributes to EU-policy. Recommendations to policy-makers and recommendations on future important research topics have been developed by the three working groups.