Scientific Opinion on the safety and efficacy of Cylactin® ( Enterococcus faecium NCIMB 10415) as a feed additive for chickens for fattening, chickens reared for laying, minor poultry species for fattening and minor poultry species reared for laying

Cylactin® is a product consisting of viable cells of Enterococcus faecium NCIMB 10415. In a previous opinion, the Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) assessed a tolerance study conducted with chickens for fattening, in which Cylactin® was included in diets at concentrations up to 100 times the recommended dose of 3 × 108 CFU/kg complete feed. No adverse effects were seen in this study and so the FEEDAP Panel concluded that the additive is safe when used at the recommended dose. This conclusion is extended to chickens reared for laying and extrapolated to minor poultry species for fattening and minor poultry species reared for laying. The potential of Cylactin® to be efficacious was previously demonstrated in chickens for fattening at 3 × 108 CFU/kg complete feed. This conclusion is extended to chickens reared for laying. Because it can be reasonably assumed that the mode of action in chickens for fattening would be the same in minor poultry species, the conclusion regarding chickens for fattening can be extrapolated to minor poultry species for fattening and minor poultry species reared for laying when the additive is used at the same dose. Cylactin® is compatible with lasalocid A sodium, maduramycin ammonium, narasin, narasin/nicarbazin and salinomycin.