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Animal Health and Welfare

General Information about Animal Health & Welfare & Feed Hygiene

Our animal health work concerns animal welfare, animal disease control and food chain issues. Most of the livestock we deal with will, at some point, contribute to the food chain. Our work plays a vital role in ensuring that the animals have been raised and kept to recognised standards. Disease control is also vital to the rural economy as shown by the devastating effects of the foot and mouth crisis. What may seem to be a bureaucratic paper exercise could save us from a similar disease outbreak.

Our officers recognise that the livestock industry has changed radically over the past few years and we make every effort to enforce the legislation in a fair and pragmatic way.

For more information please contact us.

cow grazing

Useful websites:

Berkshire County Show
Defra - Animal welfare
Farm Assurance Scheme - EFSIS - FABBL
General licence conditions (for sheep, goats, cattle, pigs & deer)
National Fallen Stock Company
National Farmers Union
National Sheep Association
Rare Breeds Survival Trust
Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institute
Registering your livestock

Feed Hygiene

Feed Hygiene Regulations and EC Regulation 183/2005

The Feed Hygiene Regulations came into force on the 1st January 2006. They apply to businesses that make, use or market feeds that are provided to animals intended for human consumption. This will therefore include most livestock farms and arable farms that grow/sell crops for use in animal feed.

The aim of the legislation is to ensure that animal feed is produced and used safely and can be traced in the event of a food/feed safety incident. The regulations do not apply to certain activities including:

Feeding of animals kept for private domestic consumption
Feeding of animals not kept for food production
Retailing of pet food

If you have any questions on how these Regulations affect your business or require any other feed law advice please don't hesitate to contact RBWM Feed Officer on: Tel: 01628 683672 or email: trading.standards@rbwm.gov.uk

Trading Standards Address: York House, Sheet Street, Windsor, SL4 1DD

Downloads below:

List of Official Schemes
Application for approval or registration
Statement of Compliance

Useful Advice Links:

Feed Hygiene Regulations 2005
EC Regulation 183/2005 including Annex I to III
Food Standards Agency Website: Animal Feed (available guidance - Mycotoxins in animal Feed, Code of Practice on Controlling Salmonella in Feed, Help Stop On-Farm Lead Poisoning etc)
Industry Code of Practice for on farm feeding
Animal Medicines Inspectorate Website

REGISTRATION

The regulations require feed businesses to register with their local authority and the Food Standards Agency gathers this information in a national feed register on their website. Not all businesses will need to register as the regulations allow for existing registration with another official schemes such as the RPA to count towards this requirement. To help you determine if this exemption applies to your business you can download a list of the accepted official schemes from the link below.

If your business is not registered with one of these schemes please download the registration form below and return it completed to RBWM Trading Standards.

NOTE: If your business was registered under the Establishment and Intermediary Regulations we have moved you across to the new registration system and you should have already received a new Registration number from us.

List of Official Schemes

Application for approval or registration form

Statement of compliance

The regulations also require feed businesses to submit to their local authority a statement of compliance. This document confirms your business operates in accordance with the requirements of the Regulations and relevant annex. Each annex relates to a specific feed activity which are:

Annex I Primary Production
applies to most livestock farms and arable farms that grow, use or sell crops for use as animal feed.
Annex II Requirements For Businesses Other Than Primary Producers
applies to higher risk feeding activities such as farmers who mix feed containing additives and premixtures
Annex III - Good Animal Feeding Practice
applies to all livestock farms

Farms mixing feeds with non-antibiotic growth promoters, coccidiostates and histomonostats are subject to more stringent controls and must seek approval from the Animal Medicines Inspectorate (AMI).

Having satisfied yourself that you are compliant with the requirements please complete a compliance statement form which you can download from the link below and return it completed to RBWM Trading Standards.

Statement of Compliance

Composite Veterinary Guidance Notes and Form

Please note that this fact sheet is designed to give you general advice. It is not an authoritative statement of law and should not be interpreted as such.