Brussels, 12/10/2001 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday, the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers reached an agreement, after a meeting in conciliation committee, on the new directive concerning the sale of compound animal feed. The aim of the new directive (which amends that of 1979 and repeals that of 1991) is that farmers should be informed (through labelling) of the composition and the use of feed for animals, as precisely as possible.
It is agreed that the new directive should take the following elements into account: (1) All raw material entering into the composition of compound feed for animals should be listed under their specific name. Regarding compound feed for animals other than pets, the raw materials used should be enumerated with the indication, in decreasing order of importance, of percentages in weights, with an authorised +/- degree of tolerance. This tolerance could be adjusted in the light of developments in scientific and technical knowledge. (2) The information on the exact percentages in weight of raw materials making up the feed will be provided at the request of the client. (3) Three years after the implementation of the directive, the Commission will present a report accompanied possibly by proposals. It will aim to improve provisions with, above all, an indication of quantities in the form of a percentage of the weight together with the tolerance. (4) The Commission will present, on the basis of a feasibility study and at the latest for 31 December 2002, a report together with a proposal intended to set a positive list in place enumerating raw material authorised for animal feed.