Commission Recommendation of 17 August 2006 on the presence of deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, ochratoxin A, T-2 and HT-2 and fumonisins in products intended for animal feeding   (Text with EEA relevance)
Date: 2006-08-17
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: animal feedingstuffs, food safety, foodstuffs legislation, toxic substance, veterinary legislation

23.8.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 229/7

COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION

of 17 August 2006

on the presence of deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, ochratoxin A, T-2 and HT-2 and fumonisins in
products intended for animal feeding

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2006/576/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

(3)

establishing the European
Having regard to the Treaty
Community, and in particular the second indent of Article
211 thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

At the request of the Commission the European Food
Safety Authority (EFSA) adopted opinions on the myco-
toxins deoxynivalenol on 2 June 2004 (1), zearalenone
on 28 July 2004 (2), ochratoxin A on 22 September
2004 (3) and fumonisins on 22 June 2005 (4).

Those opinions conclude that all four mycotoxins exhibit
toxic effects in several animal species. Deoxynivalenol,
zearalenone and fumonisin B1 and B2 are only to a
very limited extent
transferred from feed into meat,
milk and eggs and therefore food of animal origin only
contributes marginally to the total human exposure to
these toxins. Ochratoxin A can be transferred from feed
into food of animal origin but exposure assessments
indicate that food of animal origin makes only a small
contribution to the total human dietary exposure to
ochratoxin A.

(1) Opinion of the Scientific Panel on contaminants in the Food Chain
of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on a request from the
Commission related to deoxynivalenol as undesirable substance in
animal feed, adopted on 2 June 2004.
http://www.efsa.europa.eu/etc/medialib/efsa/science/contam/
contam_opinions/478.Par.0005.File.dat/opinion05_contam_ej73_
deoxynivalenol_v2_en1.pdf

(2) Opinion of the Scientific Panel on contaminants in the Food Chain
of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on a request from the
Commission related to zearalenone as undesirable substance in
animal feed, adopted on 28 July 2004.
http://www.efsa.europa.eu/etc/medialib/efsa/science/contam/
contam_opinions/527.Par.0004.File.dat/opinion_contam06_ej89_
zearalenone_v3_en1.pdf

(3) Opinion of the Scientific Panel on contaminants in the Food Chain
of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on a request from the
Commission related to ochratoxin A as undesirable substance in
animal feed, adopted on 22 September 2004.
http://www.efsa.europa.eu/etc/medialib/efsa/science/contam/
contam_opinions/645.Par.0001.File.dat/opinion_contam09_ej101_
ochratoxina_en1.pdf

(4) Opinion of the Scientific Panel on contaminants in the Food Chain
of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on a request from the
Commission related to fumonisins as undesirable substance in
animal feed, adopted on 22 June 2005.
http://www.efsa.europa.eu/etc/medialib/efsa/science/contam/
contam_opinions/1037.Par.0001.File.dat/contam_op_ej235_
fumonisins_en1.pdf

Data on the presence of T-2 and HT-2 toxins in products
intended for animal feeding are at present very limited.
There is also an urgent need for the development and
validation of a sensitive method of analysis. However
there are indications that the presence of T-2 and HT-2
feeding could be a
in products intended for animal
reason for
is necessary to
it
concern. Therefore,
develop a sensitive method of analysis, collect more
investigations
occurrence data, and carry out
and research into the factors involved in the presence
of T-2 and HT-2 in cereal and cereal products,
in
particular in oats and oat products.

further

the scientific
the conclusions of
Taking into account
opinions
referred to in recital 1, and the lack of
reliable data on T-2 and HT-2 toxins, together with the
large year-to-year variation in occurrence of these myco-
toxins,
it is appropriate to collect more data on these
mycotoxins in the different feed materials and feeding-
stuffs, in addition to the data already available from the
coordinated control programmes for 2002 (5), 2004 (6)
and 2005 (7).

cereals

To provide orientation to the Member States on the
acceptability of
and
compound feed for animal feeding and to avoid dispa-
rities in the values accepted by the different Member
States and the consequent risk of distortion of compe-
it is appropriate to recommend guidance values.
tition,

cereal products

and

Member States should only apply the guidance values for
fumonisin B1 + B2 from 1 October 2007, so as to
coincide with the rules laid down by Commission Regu-
lation (EC) No 856/2005 of 6 June 2005 amending
regards Fusarium
Regulation (EC) No 466/2001 as
toxins (8).

(4)

(5)

(6)

(5) Commission Recommendation 2002/214/EC of 12 March 2002 on
the coordinated inspection programmes in the field of animal
nutrition for the year 2002 in accordance with Council Directive
95/53/EC (OJ L 70, 13.3.2002, p. 20).

(6) Commission Recommendation 2004/163/EC of 17 February 2004
on the coordinated inspection programme in the field of animal
nutrition for the year 2004 in accordance with Council Directive
95/53/EC (OJ L 52, 21.2.2004, p. 70).

(7) Commission Recommendation 2005/187/EC of 2 March 2005 on
the coordinated inspection programme in the field of animal
nutrition for the year 2005 in accordance with Council Directive
95/53/EC (OJ L 62, 9.3.2005, p. 22).

(8) OJ L 143, 7.6.2005, p. 3.

L 229/8

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

23.8.2006

(7)

the approach provided for by this
An assessment of
Recommendation should be undertaken by 2009 in
particular to assess its contribution towards protecting
animal health. The monitoring data obtained as a result
of this Recommendation will also enable a better under-
standing of the year–to-year variance and the presence of
these mycotoxins in the wide range of by-products used
for animal
feed, which is of primary importance for
taking, if necessary, further legislative measures.

HEREBY RECOMMENDS:

5. Member States should ensure that the guidance values, as set
out in the Annex, are applied for judging the acceptability of
compound feed and cereal and cereal products for animal
feeding. As
fumonisin B1 + B2, Member States
should apply these guidance values from 1 October 2007.

regards

6. Member States

in particular,

should ensure,

feed
business operators use in their Hazard Analysis and Critical
Control Points
the guidance values
referred to in point 5 to determine the critical
limits at
critical control points which separate acceptability from
unacceptability,
or
reduction of identified hazards.

elimination

prevention,

system (1)

(HACCP)

that

the

for

1. Member States should, with the active involvement of feed
business operators, increase monitoring for the presence of
deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, ochratoxin A and fumonisin
B1 + B2, T-2 and HT-2 toxin in cereals
and cereal
feeding and compound
products
feedingstuffs.

intended for

animal

In applying these guidance values, Member States should take
into account the fact that the guidance values for cereals and
cereal products have been determined for the most tolerant
animal species and are therefore to be considered as upper
guidance values.

2. Member States should ensure that samples are simulta-
neously analysed for the presence of deoxynivalenol, zeara-
lenone, ochratoxin A, fumonisin B1 + B2 and T-2 and HT-2
toxin to allow the extent of co-occurrence to be assessed.

lower guidance values

For feed for more sensitive animals, Member States should
for cereals and cereal
ensure that
products
taking into
the animal species and enabling
account
compliance with
for
compound feedingstuffs for these animal species.

applied by feed manufacturers

the sensitivity of

determined

guidance

values

the

are

3. Member States

should pay particular attention to the
presence of those mycotoxins in by- or co-products from
the production of food intended for animal feeding.

Done at Brussels, 17 August 2006.

4. Member States should ensure that the analytical results are
provided on a regular basis to the Commission for compi-
lation into a single database.

For the Commission

Markos KYPRIANOU
Member of the Commission

(1) Regulation (EC) No 183/2005 of the European Parliament and of

the Council (OJ L 35, 8.2.2005, p. 1).

23.8.2006

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Official Journal of the European Union

L 229/9

ANNEX

GUIDANCE VALUES

Mycotoxin

Products intended for animal feed

Deoxynivalenol

Zearalenone

Feed materials (*)
— Cereals and cereal products (**) with the exception of maize by-products
— Maize by-products

Complementary and complete feedingstuffs with the exception of:
— complementary and complete feedingstuffs for pigs
— complementary and complete feedingstuffs for calves (< 4 months),

lambs

and kids

Feed materials (*)
— Cereals and cereal products (**) with the exception of maize by-products
— Maize by-products

Complementary and complete feedingstuffs
— Complementary and complete feedingstuffs for piglets and gilts (young sows)
— Complementary and complete feedingstuffs for sows and fattening pigs
— Complementary and complete feedingstuffs for calves, dairy cattle, sheep

(including lamb) and goats (including kids)

Ochratoxin A

Feed materials (*)
— Cereals and cereal products (**)

Complementary and complete feedingstuffs
— Complementary and complete feedingstuffs for pigs
— Complementary and complete feedingstuffs for poultry

Fumonisin B1 + B2

Feed materials (*)
— maize and maize products (***)

Complementary and complete feedingstuffs for:
— pigs, horses (Equidae), rabbits and pet animals
— fish
— poultry, calves (< 4 months), lambs and kids
— adult ruminants (> 4 months) and mink

Guidance value
in mg/kg (ppm)
relative to a
feedingstuff
with a moisture
content of 12 %

8

12

5

0,9

2

2

3

0,1

0,25

0,5

0,25

0,05

0,1

60

5

10

20

50

(*) Particular attention has to be paid to cereals and cereals products fed directly to the animals that their use in a daily ration should not
lead to the animal being exposed to a higher level of these mycotoxins than the corresponding levels of exposure where only the
complete feedingstuffs are used in a daily ration.

(**) The term ‘Cereals and cereal products’ includes not only the feed materials listed under heading 1 ‘Cereal grains, their products and
by-products’ of the non-exclusive list of main feed materials referred to in part B of the Annex to Council Directive 96/25/EC of 29
April 1996 on the circulation and use of feed materials (OJ L 125, 23.5.1996, p. 35) but also other feed materials derived from
cereals in particular cereal forages and roughages.

(***) The term ‘Maize and maize products’ includes not only the feed materials derived from maize listed under heading 1 ‘Cereal grains,
their products and by-products’ of the non-exclusive list of main feed materials referred to in the Annex, part B of Directive 96/25/EC
but also other feed materials derived from maize in particular maize forages and roughages.