Feed Imports

Feedingstuffs imported into the EU must be inspected at the point of import and, if intended for distribution to other Member States, must be accompanied by documentary evidence indicating the outcome of the inspection. However, the Member State to which the feed is transported reserves the right to check such feeds at the point of destination. Feed Business Operators who are intending to import feed from third countries must give prior notification to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 on official food and feed controls provides for the drawing up of specific rules to govern the importation, into the EU, of certain food and feed products which present additional risks to the food chain. These new rules, and the specific food and feed products involved, are set out in EU Commission Regulation (EC) No 669/2009. The controls came into effect on 25th January 2010. The feeds which are subject to these controls are listed in Annex 1 of the Regulation and the Annex is regularly revised to add and remove products or amend the frequency of the physical checks. Information on the application of the Regulation to the import of food of non-animal origin can be found on the Food Safety Authority of Ireland’s (FSAI) website at www.fsai.ie.