Animal Feeding
Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Animal Feeding (Host Government – Denmark)
An Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Animal Feeding was established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission in 1999 to ensure safety and quality of foods of animal origin by developing guidelines or standards on Good Animal Feeding Practices. The taskforce has now completed work on the Code of Practice for Good Animal Feeding. The Code was adopted by the Commission in 2004.Future work
The 32nd Commission (2009) recalled that at its 31st Session (2008) it had agreed to postpone decision on possible new work on animal feeding until the 32nd Session and to establish an electronic working group, hosted by Denmark and co-chaired by Mexico to prepare: (i) a proposal for the scope and the terms of reference of future work on animal feeding, taking into consideration the conclusion and recommendation of the FAO/WHO expert meeting on Animal Feeding Impact on Food Safety; and (ii) a proposal for a suitable mechanism for Codex to carry out this work.
The 32nd Commission concluded its discussion recognising the full support for further Codex work on animal feeding. The Commission agreed to establish an electronic working group, hosted by Denmark and co-chaired by the United States of America to:
(i) Review of existing Codex risk analysis principles as to their applicability to animal feed
(ii) Review of Codex texts on emergency situation and exchange of information on rejected food as to their applicability to animal feed (CAC/GL 25-1997 and CAC/GL 19-1995)
(iii) Review of the Codex Code of Practice for Sources Directed Measures to Reduce Contamination of Food with Chemical (CAC/RCP 49-2001) as to their applicability to animal feed
(iv) Propose suitable mechanisms for addressing the remaining three items proposed by the electronic working group to the 32nd Session of the Commission.
Existing Codex Standards
A number of standards relating to animal feeding* have been endorsed and adopted into the international food code. They include standards on:
- Reduction of Aflatoxin B1 in Raw Materials and Supplemental Feeding stuffs for Milk-Producing Animals
- Classification of Foods and Animal Feeds
- Code of Practice for Good Animal Feeding
* This is an indicative list only. For a full list of standards approved by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, please consult its Official List of Standards.
Next meeting
The Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Animal Feeding has now been disbanded.