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National Reference Laboratory for Additives for Use in Animal Nutrition
Marketing authorisation for feed is granted pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 of the European Commission in a Community procedure. Feed may not be placed on the market or fed to animals without this authorisation.
Feed additives are defined as substances, micro-organisms or preparations, which are not feed starting products or premixes, that have been intentionally added to feed or water in order to fulfil one or more of the functions stipulated in the Regulation. Feed additives may not harm the health of animals, humans or the environment and may not lead to any disadvantages for the consumer.
Feed additives are broken down into the functional groups: technological, sensory, nutritional-physiological and zootechnical additives. They include a number of different substances like:
- Antioxidants
- Preservatives
- Emulsifiers
- Dyes
- Flavourings
- Vitamins
- Trace elements
- Enzymes
- Probiotics
The National Reference Laboratory for Additives for Use in Animal Nutrition is attached to the BfR Chemical-Analytical Centre.
Main areas of the NRL for Additives for Use in Animal Nutrition
The activities of the National Reference Laboratory for Additives for Use in Animal Nutrition include:
- Co-operation with the EU Reference Laboratory and the passing on of information from the EU Reference Laboratory to the competent official national laboratories and authorities
- Co-operation with laboratories commissioned to undertake the analysis of additives within the framework of official control in Germany
- Development and validation of analytical methods
- Conduct of comparative tests between the official national laboratories
- Scientific and technical support for the implementation of the control plans.
Within the framework of the marketing authorisation procedure for feed additives, applicants must submit a method for the analysis of the respective feed additive in feed and, where appropriate, also for its residues and/or metabolites in food. Regulation (EC) No 378/2005 of the Commission sets out the obligations and tasks of the Community Reference Laboratory in respect of applications for marketing authorisation for feed additives.
The Community Reference Laboratory (CRL) in Geel is responsible for the evaluation of these methods and is supported by a group of national reference laboratories.
Germany appointed the following laboratories:
- Main Feed Laboratory of the Bavarian Regional Office for Health and Food Safety (LGL), Oberschleißheim
- Agricultural Control and Research Agency (LUFA) Speyer, Speyer
- Saxonian Regional Office for Agriculture, Division 8 - Agricultural Tests, Leipzig
- Thuringian Regional Institute for Agriculture (TLL), Test Department, Jena
