On 26 of April 2004 the Council adopted the Regulation 183/2005 EC the European Parliament and of the Council laying down requirements for feed hygiene.

The proposal was presented by the by Commission on 14 of April 2003 in the framework of the Commission's White Paper on Food Safety, and the way the three institutions negotiated allowed a successful first reading agreement in a short time.

The final text adopted by the Council and the Parliament retains all the main principles of the Commission proposal. Therefore guaranteeing a good improvement on the safety of feed.

This Regulation will ensure that feed safety is considered at all stages that may have an impact on feed and food safety, including primary production.

In particular it introduces the following main elements :

• The compulsory registration of all feed business operators by the competent authority;
• Approval of feed business establishments carrying out operations involving the more sensitive substances, such as certain feed additives, premixtures and compound feedingstuffs;
• The approval system for feed businesses for the cases dealing with more sensitive substances will be maintained but provisions are made to extend the current scope for the approval requirement when necessary;
• To ensure that all feed businesses operate in accordance with harmonised hygiene requirements;
• To implement the application of good hygiene practice at all levels of agriculture production and use of feed;
• To introduce the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles for the feed business operators other than at the level of primary production;
• Community and national guides to good practice in feed production.
• To introduce compulsory requirements for feed production at farm level;
• To provide for a European Union framework for guides to good practice in feed production.

The Council and the Parliament endorsed the principle that feed business operators must provide a financial guarantee in order to cover the risks related to their businesses. The Commission will present a report examining the existing national provisions, systems and practices relaying to the liability in the feed sector, which shall be accompanied, where appropriate, by legislative proposals for such a feasible and practicable guarantee system at EU level which will enter into force afterwards.

The proposal will replace Council Directive 95/69/EC laying down the conditions and arrangements for approving and registering certain establishments and intermediaries operating in the animal feed sector.