The European feed industry, represented by FEFAC and FEFANA, has urged the European Commission to accelerate the authorisation process for innovative feed ingredients and establish uniform rules on claims, arguing that such measures are essential to reduce antibiotic use in livestock. In a joint press release following a 19 May EURACTIV conference, the sector highlighted scientific evidence that modern animal nutrition can boost animals' resilience to stressors, thereby lowering the need for antibiotics. The call was backed by a video statement from European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides, who stressed the feed sector's role in achieving the Farm to Fork Strategy's goals on sustainability, animal health, and welfare.
The industry's push comes amid broader EU efforts to modernise animal welfare legislation. On 21 April 2026, the Commission urged the pig slaughter industry to adopt humane stunning alternatives, referencing the PIGSTUN project. Days earlier, on 17 April, the Commission signalled a gradual, sector-by-sector approach to turkey welfare reform after an EFSA opinion, while on 20 April it considered stricter welfare rules over an EU-wide fur farming ban. The feed sector's request for faster authorisation and uniform claims rules aligns with the Commission's ongoing impact assessment on modernising on-farm animal welfare laws, announced on 18 April, which applies a sector-specific approach guided by scientific evidence.
Regulatory efficiency vs. precautionary oversight The feed industry's demand for a more efficient authorisation process and uniform claims rules reflects a tension between enabling innovation and maintaining rigorous safety and efficacy checks. Faster market access for novel feed ingredients could help farmers reduce antibiotic use, benefiting animal health and public health by curbing antimicrobial resistance. However, streamlining authorisation may raise concerns among consumer and environmental groups about insufficient scrutiny of new products. Uniform claims rules would allow feed producers to communicate science-based benefits clearly, potentially boosting uptake of innovative solutions, but could also limit flexibility for national authorities to adapt claims to local conditions. The impact is moderate: for EU feed manufacturers, faster authorisation reduces time-to-market and regulatory costs; for EU farmers, clearer claims facilitate informed purchasing decisions; for EU consumers, reduced antibiotic use improves food safety; for EU regulatory bodies, balancing speed with thorough assessment remains a challenge.