This consultation started on 17th February 2010 and ends on 11th May 2010.

The Food Standards Agency is seeking comments on the guidance (see Annexe B at the link towards the end of this page) which has been specifically designed for farmers to help them comply with the record-keeping requirements of Annexe I (Part A, II) of the EC Feed Hygiene Regulation (183/2005).

The Regulation came into full effect for all feed business operators on 1 January 2008. The main purpose of the Regulation is to improve feed safety and it includes rules to improve operational standards of feed businesses and traceability measures to ensure that, in the case of a feed contamination incident, feeds can be easily traced and recalled if necessary.

EC Regulation 183/2005 applies to virtually all feed businesses that manufacture, market or use animal feed, including livestock farms, fish farms and arable farms growing and using or selling crops for feed use. One of the requirements of the Regulation is for feed businesses to carry out a certain amount of record-keeping so that if a feed or food related problem occurs, its origins can be quickly identified and appropriate measures taken. Annexe I (part A, II) of EC Regulation 183/2005 sets out a short list of record-keeping requirements that farmers must observe (this can be seen in the annexe in Annexe B).

In 2005, the Government measured the administrative burdens of regulations on business in England, including record-keeping requirements. The cost to farmers of complying with the record-keeping requirements of Annexe I of the Regulation, using a standard cost model, was estimated at 58 million per annum at 2005 prices.

In early 2009, the Food Standards Agency drafted a four-page guidance document intended to assist farmers in carrying out the record-keeping requirements of Annexe I of EC Regulation 183/2005 in a less burdensome way (see 'Long guidance' in Annexe B). The independent Advisory Committee on Animal Feedingstuffs (ACAF) was consulted and it recommended that that the guidance should also be summarised into a one-page document (see 'Short guidance' in Annexe B). In addition, the longer version of the guidance will be available online for those farmers who might want more detailed information.

The following documents relating to this consultation are available: Consultation Summary and Annexes: Guidance for farmers on record-keeping requirements of EC Feed Hygiene Regulation (England) How to apply for approval or registration under EC Feed Hygiene Regulation (183/2005)

http://www.tellthemwhatyouthink.org/consultation/con-2837-guidance-farmers-record-1832005-england