Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed on the safety and efficacy of the product Biosaf Sc 47, a preparation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (NCYC Sc 47), as a feed additive for lambs in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003

Biosaf is a preparation consisting of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the spent medium in which the organism was grown. This additive is already permanently authorised for use in cattle for fattening, rabbits for fattening, sows, piglets and dairy cows. The company is now asking for authorisation to use the additive in lambs for fattening. According to Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) should deliver an opinion on the efficacy and the safety of the product Biosaf Sc 47 for the target animal, consumers, users and the environment. In its assessment, the FEEDAP Panel considered that the safety of this organism (and its growth medium) for the consumer, the user and the environment had already been established and would not be changed by the proposed extension of use. Consequently, the Panel considered only the safety and the efficacy of the additive for the proposed additional target species. Three indoor trials provided evidence that the product at its recommended dose range is able to produce a small but beneficial effect on average daily gain in lambs, but this did not always extend to a significant difference in feed conversion or in total weight gain. When Biosaf was given to lambs for fattening at a concentration ten times greater than the maximum recommended dose, no negative health or other adverse effects were observed. The FEEDAP Panel concludes that the additive is capable of producing a small but beneficial effect on average daily weight gain. The Panel acknowledges that Saccharomyces cerevisae has been incorporated into feeds for a variety of livestock species including ruminants for many years apparently without adverse effects. The tolerance study in which no adverse effects were seen with lambs given a ten-fold overdose of Biosaf is consistent with this view.