08/02/2013
The European Council of Young Farmers announces its participation in the FEEDCODE project, that is financed by the European Community with the purpose of developing an analytical platform for the identification of the feed components, that is based on patented methods developed by IBBA-CNR The European Council of Young Farmers is now part of a consortium of stakeholders and research institutes to implement the FEED-CODE Project. The aim of this project is to develop an animal feed certification instrument and procedure to guarantee high quality meat and dairy products. European food production is known for its high standards and meat and dairy products are no exception. The quality of these products depends significantly on the animal feed that the farmer uses. Since September 2010, the new regulation EC 767/2009 has defined new rules for animal feed concerning labelling, packaging and presentation. In order to comply with this regulation, an integrated approach to food safety across the European Union (EU) needs to be put in place. With this in mind, the FEED-CODE partners are developing a reliable and simple methodology and technology for the fingerprinting of every individual plant species used in animal feed for meat and dairy producers. The method is based on DNA barcodes which are able to identify the plant ingredients in the respective feed. This way, actors and stakeholders along the food chain could have an effective and easy-to-use control system at their disposal that assures compliance with the highest EU standards in food safety and quality. The project, which unites eleven consortium partners from Belgium, Bulgaria, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Romania and the United Kingdom, started in December 2012 and is set to run for 36 months. The results of the FEED-CODE Project will help maintain the exceptionally high quality and excellent reputation that European food production enjoys around the world.
Per informazioni:
Diego Breviario, IBBA-CNR, Milano, Via Bassini 15, tel 0223699441, breviario@ibba.cnr.it; www.ibba.cnr.it
Jessica Fitch, CEJA– Conseil Européen des Jeunes Agriculteurs, Bruxelles, Rue Belliard 23/A, Bte 8, 1040, TEL +32 (0) 2 230 4210 WEB: WWW.CEJA.EU