Lactococcus lactis is a technological additive intended to improve the ensiling process at a proposed dose of 1 × 108 CFU/kg fresh material. The bacterial species L. lactis is considered by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to be suitable for the Qualified Presumption of Safety approach. Therefore, the strain does not require any specific demonstration of safety other than confirming the absence of any determinants of resistance to antibiotics of human and veterinary clinical significance and the safety for the user. As the identity of the strain has been established and no antibiotic resistance detected, the use of the strain in the production of silage is considered safe for livestock species, consumers of products from animals fed the treated silage and for the environment. Given the proteinaceous nature of the active agent and in the absence of evidence to the contrary, the additive should be considered to have the potential to be a skin and respiratory sensitiser. Four laboratory-scale silo experiments are described, each lasting at least 90 days, performed using whole crop maize, red clover/ryegrass, alfalfa and galega of different water-soluble carbohydrate content and representing material easy to ensile, moderately difficult to ensile and difficult to ensile. In each case, replicate silos containing treated forage were compared to identical silos containing the same untreated forage. The additive consistently showed the potential to improve the production of silage by a reduction of pH and increased preservation of dry matter.
