Fact sheets: Feeds Regulations 2021
On-farm feed mills
The Feeds Regulations, 2021 will impact a variety of stakeholders, including commercial feed mills, mixed feed manufacturers and suppliers, single ingredient feed manufacturers and suppliers, retail outlets, rendering plants that manufacture feed, livestock producers (on-farm feed mills), feed importers and feed exporters.
On-farm feed mills are livestock producers who manufacture livestock feeds for animals on their farm. The Feeds Act and Regulations do not apply to feeds made on-farm by livestock producers as long as the feed is not sold off the farm, is not medicated and does not contain any substance that presents a risk of harm. This exemption is found in the Feeds Act.
On-farm feed mills that use prohibited material in the manufacturing of their feeds for feeding the livestock on their farm would still be subject to the requirements under the Health of Animals Act and Regulations.
Livestock producers who sell feeds would be considered a Commercial Feed Mill. Please refer to the commercial feed mill fact sheet. Livestock producers who export feeds or import feeds, should also refer to the feed exporters fact sheet or feed importers fact sheet, respectively.
Livestock producers who sell single ingredient feeds would be considered a Single Ingredient Feed Manufacturer. Please refer to the single ingredient feed manufacturer fact sheet.
Livestock producers who sell feeds that they purchased should also refer to the feed retail outlet fact sheet.
In which cases does this fact sheet apply to you?
- You purchase a medicated feed and then use it to further manufacture a feed
- You purchase a non-medicated feed and then you use it to further manufacture a feed that contains a medication (including common medications, such as monensin or amprolium)
- You purchase a medication (with or without a veterinary prescription) and then you use it to further make a medicated feed
If you only purchase a medicated feed, you would not be considered as manufacturing feed on your farm and would be exempt from the Feeds Regulations requirements. As outlined above there is an exemption for feeds manufactured on-farm. The exemption is tied to whether a particular feed meets the criteria, not the farm as a whole. You may make some feeds that are exempt from the Feeds Act and Regulations and other feeds that are not. The requirements outlined below are with respect to feeds that the Feeds Act and Regulations apply to. However, it is recommended that if you make any feeds that are not necessarily subject to the Feeds Act and Regulations, you consider following the same requirements for all feeds that you make. While an on-farm feed mill may be exempt from the Feeds Act and Regulations, it may still be subject to the Health of Animals Act and Regulations.
New regulatory requirements that apply to you
Hazard analysis and preventive control plans
You must prepare, keep, maintain and implement a written preventive control plan (PCP) which will include:
- the identification and analysis of hazards associated with your premises, equipment used, incoming materials, feeds, manufacturing or your processes. This would include receiving, handling or storage, and measures to prevent cross contamination
- the control measures used to prevent, eliminate or reduce the hazards identified
- preventive controls you implement to meet other regulatory requirements such as general and safety standards or record-keeping and traceability
This is a new requirement.
Licences
You are not required to have a licence. Licences are only required for feeds that are to be sent or conveyed across a provincial border or are to be exported. If the feed you are making is being sold across a provincial border or being exported, please refer to the commercial feed mill fact sheet. If your farm is located in more than one province you will not be required to have a licence to move feed within your farm.
Traceability and record-keeping
You will be required to keep records of the medicated feeds you manufacture and any incoming starting materials, mixed feeds or single ingredient feeds used in those feeds. This includes the mixing sheet and formula for all medicated feeds that you manufacture as well as any copies of veterinary prescriptions. In addition, you will be required to keep records of the incoming ingredients you use and where they came from. The records must include the name of the feed, the lot number, the date, and contact information. This is a new requirement.
Product registration
You do not have to register your feeds manufactured on-farm for feeding the livestock on your farm. This is not a change from the current requirements.
Product labelling
You do not have to label feeds manufactured on farm for feeding the livestock on your farm. This is not a change from the requirements under the current Feeds Regulations. Note, there may be labelling requirements for your feed under the Health of Animals Act and Regulations.
Benefits
The new Feeds Regulations, 2021 will introduce an outcome-based and risk-based approach to feed safety and compliance through modernized regulatory requirements (hazard identification and analysis, preventive control plans, traceability and labelling requirements) and permissions (feed ingredient assessments and approvals, product registration and licences). The benefits that this new regulatory framework will provide are to:
- Safeguard feed and the food production continuum
- Attain the most effective and efficient balance between fair and competitive trade in the market
- Minimize regulatory burden
Medicated feeds present a potential risk for livestock and for human health. Adding the wrong level of medication, either too much or too little, can result in an animal health issue or a food safety concern. New requirements for preventive control plans and record keeping will help to prevent these problems before they occur. In addition, these new requirements are in line with on-farm food safety programs that already have preventive control plan principles in place for many aspects of livestock production.
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