Date: 2020-01-24Category: Not ApplicableState: Union GovernmentCountry: Europe
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/106 of 23 January 2020 concerning the authorisation of sodium formate as a feed additive for all animal species (Text with EEA relevance)
Issued by European Commission
· Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety
Executive Summary:
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/106 authorises sodium formate as a technological feed additive for all animal species. The regulation, based on Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003, specifies conditions of use and protective measures. It enters into force on the twentieth day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. The authorisation is valid until 13 February 2030.
Key Points / Main Content:
Authorisation of Sodium Formate:
* Sodium formate is authorised as a feed additive for all animal species, classified as a technological additive (hygiene condition enhancer).
* The additive is authorised based on the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) opinions, which confirmed its safety for animal health, consumer safety, and the environment under specified conditions.
Conditions of Use:
* The maximum content of formic acid from sodium formate is set at 10,000 mg/kg in complete animal feedingstuff (12,000mg/kg for pigs).
* The additive composition includes liquid form of sodium formate, equivalent to 75% formic acid and 25% water.
* The mixture of different sources of formic acid shall not exceed the permitted maximum content in complete feedingstuffs.
Safety and Handling:
* Sodium formate is mildly irritating to eyes, a skin sensitiser, and a potential respiratory irritant.
* Feed business operators must establish operational procedures and organisational measures to address potential risks.
* Users of the additive and premixtures should use personal protective equipment, including breathing protection, safety glasses, and gloves, where risks cannot be eliminated or sufficiently reduced.
* The storage conditions shall be indicated in the directions for use of the additive and premixture.
Analytical Methods:
* Specific analytical methods for determining sodium and total formate content are referenced (EN ISO 6869, EN 15510, EN 15909, HPLC UVRI, ICECD).
Impact Analysis:
Feed Business Operators:
* Impact: Required to comply with the conditions of use for sodium formate, including maximum content levels and safety measures.
* Action Required: Establish operational procedures and organisational measures to address potential risks to workers. Ensure users employ personal protective equipment where necessary. Indicate the storage conditions in the directions for use of the additive and premixture.
Users of the Additive and Premixtures:
* Impact: Need to be aware of the potential hazards of sodium formate, including eye and respiratory irritation and skin sensitisation.
* Action Required: Use appropriate personal protective equipment (breathing protection, safety glasses, and gloves) when handling the additive and premixtures, especially where risks cannot be eliminated or reduced.
Member States:
* Impact: The regulation is binding and directly applicable in all Member States.
* Action Required: Enforce the regulation and ensure compliance by feed business operators and users of the additive.
Key Entities Referenced
European Union: A political and economic union of member states located primarily in Europe.
European Commission: An institution of the European Union, responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the EU treaties and managing the day-to-day business of the EU.
Regulation EC No 1831/2003: A regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on additives for use in animal nutrition.
European Food Safety Authority: An agency of the European Union that provides independent scientific advice and communicates on existing and emerging risks associated with the food chain.
sodium formate: A chemical compound authorized as a feed additive for all animal species, classified as a technological additive (hygiene condition enhancer).
Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed: A committee that provides opinions on measures related to plants, animals, food, and feed within the European Union.
Ursula VON DER LEYEN: The President of the European Commission.
Brussels: The location where the regulation was adopted, the de facto capital of the European Union, located in Belgium.
24.1.2020 E N O f f i c i a l J o u r n a l o f t h e E u r o p e a n Union L 19/15
COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) 2020/106
of 23 January 2020
concerning the authorisation of sodium formate as a feed additive for all animal species
(Text with EEA relevance)
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2003 on
additives for use in animal nutrition(1), and in particular Article 9(2) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 provides for the authorisation of additives for use in animal nutrition and for the
grounds and procedures for granting such authorisation.
(2) In accordance with Article 7 of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 an application was submitted for the authorisation
of sodium formate. That application was accompanied by the particulars and documents required under Article 7
(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003.
(3) The application concerns the authorisation of sodium formate as a feed additive for all animal species to be classified
in the category ‘technological additives’.
(4) The European Food Safety Authority (‘the Authority’) concluded in its opinions of 30 April 2015(2) and
26 February 2019(3) that, under the proposed conditions of use, the sodium formate does not have an adverse
effect on animal health, consumer safety or the environment. It also concluded that the substance is mildly irritating
to eyes and a skin sensitiser. In addition, given that the exposure to sodium formate via inhalation is considered to
present a risk to unprotected workers handling the additive, it is prudent to consider it as a respiratory irritant.
Therefore, the Commission considers that appropriate protective measures should be taken to prevent adverse
effects on human health, in particular as regards to users of the additive. The Authority also concluded that sodium
formate liquid has the potential to be efficacious as hygiene condition enhancer in feedingstuffs. The Authority does
not consider that there is a need for specific requirements of post-market monitoring. It also verified the report on
the methods of analysis of the feed additive in feed submitted by the Reference Laboratory set up by Regulation (EC)
No 1831/2003.
(5) The assessment of sodium formate shows that the conditions for authorisation, as provided for in Article 5 of
Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003, are satisfied. Accordingly, the use of sodium formate should be authorised as
specified in the Annex to this Regulation.
(6) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on
Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
Authorisation
The substance specified in the Annex, belonging to the additive category ‘technological additives’ and to the functional
group ‘hygiene condition enhancers’, is authorised as an additive in animal nutrition, subject to the conditions laid down
in that Annex.
(1) OJ L 268, 18.10.2003, p. 29.
(2) EFSA Journal 2015; 13(5):4113.
(3) EFSA Journal 2019; 17(3):5645.L 19/16 E N O f f i c i a l J o u r n a l o f t h e E u r o p e a n Union 24.1.2020
Article 2
Entry into force
This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the
European Union.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Brussels, 23 January 2020.
For the Commission
The President
Ursula VON DER LEYENANNEX
Minimum
Maximum content
content
Identification Species or
Chemical formula, description, End of period of
number of Additive category of Maximum age Other provisions
methods of analysis mg of formic acid/kg of complete authorisation
the additive animal
feedingstuff with a moisture content
of 12 %
Technological additives: hygiene condition enhancers
1k237 Sodium formate Additive composition All animal — — 10 000 1. In the directions for use of the 13 February 2030
Liquid form species ex (formic acid additive and premixture, the
≥ 15 % sodium formate cept pigs equivalent) storage conditions shall be indi
≤ 75 % formic acid cated.
≤ 25 % water 2. The mixture of different sources
of formic acid shall not exceed
Characterisation of the active substance Pigs — — 12 000
the permitted maximum con
Sodium formate ≥ 15 % (liquid (formic acid tent in complete feedingstuffs.
form) Formic acid ≤ 75 % equivalent) 3. For users of the additive and
Produced by chemical synthesis premixtures, feed business op
erators shall establish opera
Analytical method (1)
tional procedures and organisa
Determination of sodium in feed
tional measures to address additives: EN ISO 6869: atomic ab
potential risks resulting from sorption spectrometry (AAS) or EN
its use. Where those risks can
15510: inductively coupled plasma
not be eliminated or reduced to atomic emission spectrometry,
a minimum by such procedures
(ICP-AES).
and measures, the additive and Determination of total formate in
premixtures shall be used with
feed additives: EN 15909 reverse
personal protective equipment,
phase HPLC with UV detection
including breathing protection,
(RP-HPLC-UV).
safety glasses and gloves.
Determination of total formate in
premixtures and feedingstuffs: Ion-
exclusion high performance liquid
chromatography with UV or with
refractive index detection (HPLC-
UV/RI) or Ion chromatography
method equipped with electrical
conductivity detection (IC-ECD).
(1) Details of the analytical methods are available at the following address of the Reference Laboratory: https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/eurl/feed-additives/evaluation-reports
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