Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed for the establishment of guidelines on the assessment of safety and efficacy of silage additives, on a request from the Commission under Article 7(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003

Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 includes in its scope the group of silage additives which were not specifically included as a group in Directive 70/524/EEC concerning additives in feedingstuffs. New dossiers seeking authorisation for the use of substances, including enzymes or micro-organisms, to improve the production of silage could be submitted under this Regulation as from the date of their application on 18 October 2004. It has to be taken into account that in accordance with this Regulation the current guidelines (Annex to Directive 87/153/EEC) are to be used until the new guidelines are available. There are at present three preservatives authorised under Directive 70/524/EEC that can be used for silages: E-240 Formaldehyde, E-507 Hydrochloric acid and E-513 Sulphuric acid. On a national level the situation regarding these products has been treated in different ways depending on the Member State. Some Member States have an authorisation procedure in force for these types of products. The Commission services have asked Member State delegations, within the Standing Committee of the Food Chain and Animal Health, to provide information about lists of silage additives on their markets and the guidance given for their authorisation. Finland and France have sent their guidance documents to the Commission services. Some Member States have provided the list of silage additives on the market in their country (Finland, France, United Kingdom, Belgium, Ireland and Slovenia). The new guidelines for silage additives should cover the conditions for the authorisation established in Article 5 of this Regulation concerning, among other requirements, the safety and the efficacy of use of the additives.