The European Compound Feed Manufacturers’ Federation (FEFAC) and the EU Association of Specialty Feed Ingredients and their Mixtures (FEFANA) recently held their first joint EURACTIV virtual conference titled “Animal health and welfare: what role for animal nutrition?”

The event was opened by a video statement from European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides, who stressed the key role of the European feed sector for the achievement of the ambitious goals of the Farm to Fork Strategy, not only in the field of sustainability, but also in supporting animal health and welfare through modern and innovative feeding regimes.

The panel discussed the ample scientific evidence of the beneficial effects of animal nutrition in supporting animals’ resilience to stressors, thereby reducing the need for antibiotics; as well as the need for an EU framework that actively supports the deployment of such needed modern animal nutrition solutions at farm level.

In the light of this, Benoit Anquetil, Cargill Animal Nutrition, representing FEFAC and FEFANA at the event, has welcomed the revision of EU feed legislation, action point of the Farm to Fork strategy. A more efficient authorization process would allow innovative ingredients to reach the market in a timelier manner, while uniform rules on claims would allow to communicate these science-based benefits to the final users.

FEFAC and FEFANA continue to be fully committed in communicating the fundamental role of animal nutrition in achieving the goals of the Farm to Fork strategy, as well as proactively responding to current societal needs and participating to the EU’s Better Regulation agenda.

The full recording of the event is available here.