The European Food Safety Authority has given its scientific blessing to a Japanese pharmaceutical company's probiotic feed additive for poultry, potentially opening the door for European farmers to use the product while raising questions about the competitive landscape for EU-based feed additive producers. The move impacts poultry farmers seeking growth performance improvements, feed manufacturers, animal health companies, and ultimately consumers concerned about food production methods.
This assessment comes from a Scientific Opinion published by EFSA's Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) on March 31, 2026, evaluating the efficacy of Miyarisan Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd's Clostridium butyricum FERM BP‐2789 product, marketed as Miya‐Gold®.
The document represents a non-binding scientific assessment rather than legislation, providing expert evaluation that regulatory bodies can use in decision-making. It contains concrete scientific conclusions about the additive's efficacy for specific poultry categories but does not include policy targets, budget numbers, or implementation deadlines.
The opinion demonstrates a regulatory approach that prioritizes scientific evidence over protectionism, potentially facilitating market access for non-EU products that meet safety and efficacy standards. This represents a trade-off between supporting innovation and market competition versus protecting domestic EU feed additive producers from international competition.
For poultry farmers, the positive impact could be moderate through potential access to new tools for improving growth performance. For Miyarisan Pharmaceutical, the impact is major as it represents a crucial step toward EU market authorization. For EU-based feed additive producers, the negative impact could be moderate as it introduces new competition. For consumers, the impact is minor but positive through potential improvements in poultry production efficiency.
This scientific opinion represents the continuation of an ongoing regulatory process, with the European Commission and member state authorities expected to make the final authorization decision based on EFSA's assessment. The Commission will now consider whether to grant market authorization, with potential reactions from national authorities and industry stakeholders during the implementation phase.
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