The Value of UFAS: Participant Case Study - BioMar Ltd
Emma Matheson, Quality and Environmental Compliance Manager at BioMar Ltd, speaks to the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) about the value of the Universal Feed Assurance Scheme (UFAS).
Launched in 1998 by AIC Services, UFAS now covers well over 95% of commercially produced compound feed in the UK and Ireland. A merchants’ standard was later introduced to strengthen the Scheme.
Participation in UFAS safeguards customers, businesses, and the wider industry by ensuring feed safety through robust testing and practical processes. For companies like BioMar Ltd, UFAS certification is key to maintaining their position at the forefront of responsible aquaculture.
Visit the UFAS webpage to find out more.
Key outcomes of UFAS participation
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Protecting customers, businesses, and industry in the areas of feed safety
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Building operation confidence through practical testing and processes
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Driving compliance and industry collaboration
How long has your business been a UFAS Participant?
"For over 20 years and were the first aquafeed production facility to join."
Why is your business a UFAS Participant?
"Feed safety is critical to our mission of supporting sustainable, responsible, and high-quality aquaculture.
UFAS ensures our processes and procedures are robust enough to protect our aquafeed from safety risks and maintain supply chain integrity. It has also been essential for regulatory compliance and gives customers confidence that the feed they buy is safe, helping us stay at the forefront of responsible aquaculture."
How does being a UFAS Participant add value to your business?
"The scheme strengthens our feed safety, customer trust, and supports responsible aquaculture.
It ensures we have robust traceability systems and procedures in place, tested annually through a recall exercise that builds team confidence and cohesion. Participation in the scheme reinforces our compliance, secures continuity of supply, and underpins our strong market position."
How does your business find the audit process?
"Audits drive continuous improvement in feed safety.
We run internal audits to stay ready, even for short-notice inspections. Auditors offer fresh insights, shaping our practices. We also conduct risk-based checks, making audits a valued, team-building part of our proactive compliance culture."
What are the opportunities and challenges for the future of UK feed assurance?
"As feed assurance grows in complexity, pressures around sustainability, ethics, and innovation increase. Advances in ingredients, nutrition, and digital tools offer new opportunities.
UFAS must remain clear and focused, ensuring feed safety while supporting responsible aquaculture in a changing industry landscape."
Become a Trade Assurance Scheme Case Study
AIC Services is looking for more Participants of its trade assurance schemes to contribute to a series of case studies, promoting the value of assurance in feed, food and fertiliser safety.
If your business is a Participant of one of the following schemes and you would like to find out more about being featured as a case study, please email AIC Communications Manager, Wendy Ford (wendy.ford@agindustries.org.uk) to register your interest:
Delivering added value services to the agri-supply sector.
Authors
Simon Williams
Simon Williams is Technical Manager for AIC Services. He is based at AIC Head Office, Peterborough and is responsible for the management and coordination of the FEMAS and UFAS assurance schemes as well as being the key contact for mutual recognition with European scheme owners and managing Earned Recognition relationships with UK feed and food competent authorities.
Wendy Ford
Wendy Ford is Communications Manager at AIC, creating and overseeing the content published on AIC's website, emails, Member briefings, print publications, and social media.