Greater range of feed ingredients covered in revised FEMAS Calculator
An updated version of an online tool which helps animal feed manufacturers to mitigate feed safety issues has been launched by trade assurance scheme provider AIC Services.
Its Feed Materials Assurance Scheme (FEMAS) Calculator was first developed in 2013 as a response to feed safety issues in Europe, helping to minimise risk and enhance the rigour of the Scheme.
The Calculator provides Scheme Participants with a minimum baseline for the monitoring of undesirable substances in feed ingredients and takes into account the categorisation of the feed materials, as well as other parameters.
Additonal functionality
While the previous version of the Calculator was restricted to feed materials included in the EU and GB Catalogues of Feed Materials, the updated version covers a greater range of feed ingredients.
There is now additional functionality to develop analysis schedules for feed materials notified to the EU and GB Registers of Feed Materials, as well as Feed Additives on the EU and GB Registers of Feed Additives.
The new areas of the Calculator do not contain full lists of feed materials and additives, instead requiring Participants to select options for types of raw materials and processes used.
This approach has been taken because of the constant and frequent changes to these registers making it impractical for FEMAS to maintain an up to date list.
Guidance and compliance deadline
Scheme Participants now need to review their analysis requirements as indicated by the new Calculator as soon as possible, and will be expected to have revised their schedules to comply by 1 March 2023.
To assist Participants in using the new areas of the Calculator, AIC Services has updated the FEMAS Calculator Guidance on its website.
Participants who may find it difficult to meet the deadline should contact Hannah Adams at Kiwa Agrifood to discuss.
Author
Oli Hill
As Head of Communications, Oli creates and oversees the content published on AIC's website, emails, Member briefings, print publications, and social media. A qualified multimedia journalist, he previously spent six years working at Farmers Weekly magazine as a Senior Reporter on the arable team, and latterly as Community Editor. More recently he was Communications Manager at Red Tractor.