FAMI-QS Code of Practice for Feed Additive and Premixture Operators
FAMI-QS157 was officially and successfully assessed by the EU authorities in January 2007. They considered this Guide as practicable throughout the European Union and suitable for compliance with the requirements of Regulation 183/2005 on Feed Hygiene158.
This official adoption established the formal FAMI-QS link with the Feed Hygiene Regulation, meaning that a feed additive or premixture operator who puts in place the FAMI-QS principles is meeting the requirements of this Regulation. FAMI-QS also expects that this will facilitate the work of the control authorities at national level. Positive signals are already received in this sense and it is expected that it will minimise the need for controls of FAMI-QS certified operators by national authorities and customers. A sense of complementarity with officials control is installing itself in an increasing number of EU countries.
The FAMI-QS Code of Practice is a public document and its content can be freely followed by any feed additive or premixture operator. The text of the Code is designed to set out general requirements. Questionnaires are included in order to further detail the requirements. In addition it can be used as a tool for the operators and in auditing operators. A guidance document is provided as annex to the Code. While the requirements of the Code are mandatory for every operator desiring certification, the guidance is not mandatory but provides information on how to deal with specific issues in a more detailed and practical way. The guidance documents provide support to the operator when implementing the Code. The number of certified sites has considerably increased. Since December 2009, it exceeds 500 sites, while in December 2008 this numbered 298 sites, an important increase of 72.15%. Besides the unconditional support from the European Industry to the FAMI-QS Code, the international presence of FAMI-QS Code is shown as the number of certificates in third countries is actually higher than in the EU. Especially in China there are many participants (172).
157 http://www.fami-qs.org/documents/FAMI-QS%20Report%202009.pdf.
158 EU, 2005. Regulation (EC) No 183/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 January 2005 laying down requirements for feed hygiene. Official Journal of the European Union L 35, 8/2/2005: 1-22.
Inventory of private food law
GMP+
GMP+159 standard (Good Manufacturing Practice) has been drawn up by the Dutch Animal Feed Sector Central College of Experts (CCvDD), who were responsible for the standard as owners. This College of Experts has representatives from the entire feed production chain. Product Board Animal Feed supports this college since 1993. The latest version of this standard is GMP+ 2006. In 2010 the organisation has been transformed to a private foundation.
The basis of the GMP+ standard is formed by a combination of the standards EN-ISO 9001: 2000, ISO 22000 and the HACCP principles, as laid down in the documents of the Codex Alimentarius and elaborated upon in the requirements for a HACCP based food safety system, supplemented with general GMP+ requirements. The standard was initially intended for use in the Netherlands. Today, more than 11,000 companies in the feed sector from over 65 countries worldwide let their products and services be certified according to the GMP+ 2006 standard. Characteristic for the current scheme is that it provides an integral assurance system for all products and stages of the production in the animal feed chain. These stages are: farming, trade, production/processing, transport, laboratory research and feeding.
TrusQ
TrusQ160 started in 2003. It is an important collaboration in the area of food safety between Dutch and Belgian feed suppliers. The TrusQ partners deliver feed of guaranteed quality to cattle farmers. TrusQ is based on GMP+, but considers this insufficient to be able to guarantee the quality of all raw materials for feed used by the participants of the scheme. Also by-products, used in the production of feed, are within the TrusQ scope.
In particular with suppliers from abroad guaranteed quality regularly forms a problem. TrusQ therefore analyses many raw materials to reduce the risks of contamination for farmers. This leads to a high concentration of knowledge at TrusQ. As an additional security measure TrusQ uses a traffic light system to indicate the reliability of suppliers and products. The following indications are used: • Green: product is in order; the supplier may supply.
• Orange: measures have been agreed upon (e.g. more controls) to ensure a product is safe.
• Red: business with the supplier is not allowed and its raw materials are not used.
159 http://www.gmpplus.org/en/.
In practice it may be so that a supplier cannot supply at all, but it is also possible that the supplier is not allowed to supply a certain raw material, but is allowed to supply another.
TrusQ is used by the participating feed production companies (the nine TrusQ companies) to ensure their requirements towards suppliers of raw materials and additives are being complied with, both at home and abroad. Cattle farmers participating in the scheme can therefore trust that the supplied feed is safe to use. Each of the nine TrusQ-companies supplies feed to thousands of cattle farmers in primarily the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
4.3.3 Manufacturing sector