Feed materials by characteristics or nature exclusively used as animal feed : Evaluation of feed materials with an annual use above 50 kiloton in the Netherlands and some other relevant feed materials

Regulation (EC) No. 396/2005 sets maximum residue limits (MRLs) for pesticide residues in food and feed. In Annex I, part A, a specific category (category 1200000) has been dedicated to products that are used exclusively for animal feed production. At present, this category is empty and does not contain feed materials. Instead, the regulation refers to footnote 1. This footnote indicates that MRLs do not apply to products or parts of products that by their characteristics or nature, are used exclusively as animal feed ingredients (in this report referred to as “feed only”) until separate MRLs are set in the specific category 1200000. Consequently, at present no MRLs apply to “feed only” products. This study was conducted at the request of the NVWA in order to obtain a list of products that could be classified as “feed only” products based on objective criteria and a transparent approach. This classification is limited to plant-derived feed materials with an annual use above 50 kton in the Netherlands (45 products). In addition, some plant derived feed materials with lower usage, milk products, mineral products, and products of fat and oil processing, were added because of their practical relevance. Hence, in total 60 feed materials were evaluated. The sources of information used in this study were the EU feed material Catalogue (Commission Regulation (EU) No 68/2013), the EFSA FoodEx2 database, information on use in human food in literature and on the internet, and the Pesticides Regulation (EC) No. 396/2005. - The following products were classified as “feed only” in this study:• products which are not included in the EFSA FoodEx2 database for food, and for which no food application was found on internet using Google as search engine and the name of the product in combination with “food” in Dutch and English as search terms; • products which (may) contain(s) processing aids according to the feed material Catalogue and for which an identical product without processing aids is described in the feed materials Catalogue; • (milk) products specifically prepared as feed material and containing processing aids.