Seeds, feed additives and agricultural inputs

• Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 — feed additives
• Regulation (EC) No 183/2005 — feed hygiene
• Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 — fertilising products
• Regulation (EC) No 767/2009

Who has to appoint one

Anyone placing feed additives or agricultural inputs on the EU market. Feed additives require Union authorisation, which is granted for a specific holder, and the establishment handling them must be registered or approved.

Thresholds and exemptions

Authorisation applies per additive and per use. Approval rather than registration is required for establishments handling certain additive categories.

What must appear on the label

Additive name and identification number, the authorisation holder, the guaranteed content, batch number, use instructions, the expiry date, and for premixtures the full declarations required by Regulation 767/2009.

Marketplace fields

Feed manufacturers require the authorisation reference and the certificate of analysis for each batch, and unauthorised additives cannot be used lawfully in feed.

Documentation you must hold

Union authorisation for the additive, establishment registration or approval, HACCP procedures, traceability, certificates of analysis, and for fertilising products the conformity assessment under Regulation 2019/1009.

Standards and testing

Identity and content verification for each batch, contaminant testing including heavy metals and mycotoxins, and stability testing for the declared shelf life.

Language requirements

Labelling in the official language of each member state where the product is placed on the market.

When it applies

Authorisation before use or sale. Authorisations are time-limited and require renewal.

How long records are kept

Traceability and analysis records per feed law, generally at least five years.

What happens if you do not comply

Withdrawal, destruction, and prosecution where unauthorised additives enter the food chain, since the consequences reach human food through animal products.

Who enforces it

National feed authorities, EFSA for the scientific assessment and the Commission for authorisation.

Where the boundary lies

Feed additive authorisations name a holder, and a different company cannot rely on another's authorisation without the appropriate arrangement. Fertilising products can use the CE-marked route with an authorised representative, which additives cannot.

Questions we are asked

Can we import an additive authorised elsewhere?

Only if it holds a Union authorisation for that use. Authorisations from other jurisdictions have no effect.

Is a representative possible for feed additives?

No. The authorisation is held by a named entity and the establishment must be registered or approved in the Union.