Following consultation with the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland, the major trade associations representing the UK feed industry (AIC, BAFSAM, BETA, PFMA) have agreed to publish a GB register of feed materials and to provide an online platform for the notification of new feed materials.

"This is a significant step forward in ensuring the feed industry can continue to comply with the legal requirement to notify new feed materials to the industry representatives'' comments James McCulloch, Head of Feed sector at AIC.

Within the EU this legal requirement is achieved by registering all feed materials onto the EU feed register, creating a single point of reference for all feed materials that are not listed in the EU Catalogue of feed materials. Following the UK's departure from the EU this register was not recognised within UK legislation and the feed industry associations have chosen to develop a GB register for the benefit of the entire industry.

"This will benefit those UK businesses wishing to place new feed materials on the market in GB (NI still follows EU regulations) and those feed manufacturers who might be looking for new materials to use", continues Mr McCulloch, "and we are grateful for the significant co-operation shown by all associations in reaching this agreement".

The GB Register will consist of the English language entries that were listed on the EU Register of Feed Materials as at 1 January 2021. The GB Register will not be published immediately as both industry partners and regulators have agreed that the contents should be reviewed prior to publication.

However, it is now possible for businesses to access, and complete, a Notification Form via the link on the home page of the website: https://gbfeedmaterialsregister.org.uk/

Businesses wishing to notify a new feed material for placing on the Northern Ireland or EU markets, can do so at the following link: https://www.feedmaterialsregister.eu

"The home page of the website carries a comprehensive guidance document on the notification process", says Mr McCulloch, "and links to the GB Feed Materials Register website will be placed on both FSA and FSS websites".

Any questions regarding the management of the online register may be sent to contact@gbfeedmaterialsregister.org.uk. Please note that questions related to the legislation should be addressed to the relevant authorities.

The feed industry associations and FSA and FSS have now established a working group tasked with reviewing the content of the GB Register with a view to publishing the reviewed register in early 2023.