- 1
  DEAS 1096  - 1:2022  
ICS 63.120  
 
© EAC 202 2               First Edition 202 2 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
Hay as animal feed — Specification — Part 1 : Grass hay  
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  
 DEAS 1096  - 1:2022 9 
 
© EAC 202 2 – All rights reserved               ii 
 Copyright notice  
This EAC document is copyright -protected by EAC. While the reproduction of this document by 
participants in the EAC standards devel opment process is permitted without prior permission from EAC, 
neither this document nor any extract from it may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form for 
any other purpose without prior written permission from EAC.  
Requests for permission to re produce this document for the purpose of selling it should be addressed 
as shown below or to EAC’s member body in the country of the requester:  
© East African Community  2022 — All rights reserved  
East African Community  
P.O. Box 1096 , 
Arusha  
Tanzania  
Tel: +  255 27 2162100  
Fax: + 255 27 2162190  
E-mail: eac@eachq.org  
       Web: www.eac -quality.net  
Reproduction for sales purposes may be subject to royalty payments or a licensing agreement.  
Violators may be prosecuted.  DEAS 1096  - 1:2022  
© EAC 20 22 – All rights reserved                 iii 
 Foreword  
Development of the East African S tandards has been necessitated by the need for harmonizing requirements 
governing quality of products and services in the East African Community. It is envisaged that through 
harmonized standardization, trade barriers that are encountered when goods and se rvices are exchanged 
within the Community will be removed.  
The Community has established an East African Standards Committee (EASC)  mandated to develop and 
issue East African Standards (EAS).  The Committee is composed of representatives of the National 
Standards Bodies in Partner States, together with the representatives from the public and private sector 
organizations in the community.  
East African Standards are developed through Technical Committees that are representative of key 
stakeholders including government, academia, consumer groups, private sector and other interested parties. 
Draft East African Standards are circulated to stakeholders through the National Standards Bodies in the 
Partner States. The comments received are discussed and incorporate d before finalization of standards, in 
accordance with the Principles and procedures for develop ment of East African Standards . 
East African Standards are subject to review, to keep pace with technological advances. Users of the East 
African Standards are therefore expected to ensure that they always have the latest versions of the standards 
they are implementing .  
The committee responsible for this document is Technical Committee EASC/TC 001, Animal feeds and 
feeding stuffs . 
Attention is drawn to the possi bility that some of the elements of this document may be subject of patent 
rights. EAC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.  
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  DEAS 1096  - 1:2022  
 
1               © EAC 202 2 – All rights reserved  
 Hay as animal feed — Specification — Part 1: Grass hay  
1 Scope  
This Draft East African Sta ndard specifies  requirements , sampling and test methods for grass hay 
used as animal feed . 
2 Normative references  
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content 
constitutes requirements of this document.  For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For 
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) 
applies.  
CODEX STAN 193, Codex general standard for contaminants and toxins in food and feed  
CAC/RCP 54,  Code of Practice on Good Animal Feeding  
ISO 5983, Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of nitrogen content and calculation of crude protein 
content  
ISO 6496, Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of moisture and other volatile matter content  
ISO 16472, Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of amylase -treated neutral detergent fibre content 
(aNDF)  
ISO 13906, Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of acid detergent fibre (ADF) and acid detergent 
lignin (ADL) contents  
ISO 6497 , Animal feeding stuffs — Samplin g 
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.  
3.1  
hay 
cultivated or natural pasture that has been cut and dried for use as animal feed  
3.2  
grass hay  
Cultivated or natural pasture (not cultivated)  grass that has been cut and dried for use as animals feeds  
NOTE   Grass hay may be single species or mixed species . DEAS 1096  - 1:2022  
 
© EAC 202 2 – All rights reserved               2 
 4 Requirements  
4.1 General requirements  
Grass h ay shall be free from : 
a) harmful constituents  such  as glass,  stones,  soil, metallic  objects  and other adulterants;  
b) moulds  or insect  infestation  e.g. Ergot spp;  
c) musty,  rancid  or uncharacteristic  odour;  
d) waste material including faecal matter and any other  
e) rain damage;  
f) poisonous plants  and seeds  including  but not limited to the following Cuscuta, Datu ra, 
Solanum, Moraea, Stipa, Crotalaria Ornithogalum, Senecio ; 
g) plant pests  and diseases; and  
h) animal pests  and disease  causing  agents.  
4.2 Specific requirements for grass hay  
4.2.1  Grass hay  shall be classified  into grades  on the basis  of nutritional value a s per the 
requirements given in Table 1 when tested in accordance with the test methods prescribed therein.  
Table 1 — Nutritional requirements for grass hay  
Parameter at 100 %, DM  Grade  Test method  
Premium  Good  Fair Utility  Straw  
Crude protein, %     11 (min.)  
 
 
 8 – 10 
 5 – 7 
 3 – 5 
 <3  ISO 5983  
Acid Detergent Fibre (ADF)  30.5 30- 32 32- 34 41 41- 45 ISO 13906  
Neutral Detergent Fibre (NDF)  < 60 60-64.4 64.4-68 68-70 70- 75 ISO 16472  
[Calcium,  g/kg]  0.72 0.66 0.47 < 0.2 5  0.45 ISO 6490 -1 
[Phospo rus, g/kg ]  0.34 0.29- 0.34 0.26-0.29 < 0.26  <  0.07  ISO 6491  
[Metabolisable energy, 
kcal/KgDm]  2222.75  2031.55  < 1673.04  < 1673.04  < 1673.04   
 
4.2.2  Moisture  content  for grass hay shall comply  with the requirements  given  in Table 2 when 
tested in accord ance with the test methods specified therein.  DEAS 1096  - 1:2022  
© EAC 202 2 – All rights rese rved               3 
 Table 2 — Moisture content for grass hay  
Hay 
classification  Pelleted  
hay Rectangular 
baled hay up 
to 25 kg  Rectangular
baled hay  
26 - 400 kg  Rectangular
baled hay  
400 - 800 kg  Round baled  
hay 
200 - 900 kg  Test m ethod  
Moisture 
content, %, 
max.  12 18 16 12 15 ISO 6496  
 
5 Contaminants  
5.1 Pesticide residues  
Grass hay  shall comply  with the  maximum  pesticide  residue  limits  established  by the Codex 
Alimentarius  Pesticide  Database.  
5.2 Heavy metals  
Grass hay  shall comply  with those  maximum  limits  for heavy metals established  in CODEX STAN 
193. 
6 Hygiene   
Grass hay shall be produced and handled in accordance with CAC/RCP 54.  
7 Packaging  
7.1 Baled hay for sale shall be baled using sufficient strong binding. Bales may b e tied using sisal 
ropes or wire so as to withstand reasonable handling without tearing or falling open during 
transportation and storage. . 
7.2 Chopped, milled, or pelleted hay  shall be packed  in containers  which  are of sufficient  strength  
and sufficiently  sealed  so as  to withstand  reasonable  handling without tearing, bursting  or falling open 
during handling and transportation.  
7.3 Hay should  be transported  in clean  vehicles  and should  be protected  from environmental 
factors that might affect the quality of  the hay.  
8 Labelling  
Each package of hay shall be legibly and indelibly labelled with the following:  
a) type of hay  - if being sold  as a single  species,  then a declaration  is required stating  that the 
contents consist  of more than 90% m/m dry  matter of that species;  
b) name and physical  address  of the manufacturer/producer ; 
c) grade of hay;   
d) crude protein level;  DEAS 1096  - 1:2022  
 
© EAC 202 2 – All rights reserved               4 
 e) net weight ; 
f) batch/ lot number;  
g) production date;  
h) “Use by” date; and  
i) storage instructions.  
10 Sampling  
Sampling shall be done in accordance with ISO 6497.  
 DEAS 1096  - 1:2022    
 
© EAC 202 2 — All rights reserved