Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 November 2020
1543. Deputy Joe O'Brien asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if plastic fragments are permitted in animal feed; the percentage of plastic that is in animal feed; his plans to introduce regulations to ensure all plastic is removed from animal feed; and his views on the health implications of ingesting plastic for both animals and humans that consume the meat from these animals. [33684/20]
View answerEU Regulation (EC) No 767/2009 on the Placing on the Market and Use of Feed specifies that ‘packaging from the use of products from the agrifood industry and parts thereof’ are designated as prohibited materials, essentially meaning a zero tolerance for materials such as paper and plastic in animal feed.
However, in order to reduce levels of food waste and the unnecessary destruction of safe food, by-products of the food industry and surplus food have become a relatively significant source of animal feed in Ireland. The presence of packaging plastic in certain animal feedstuffs primarily arises from the use of former food in feed (such as bread material).
My Department carries out controls to ensure the manufacture and supply of these feeds is in accordance with the above legislation to ensure its safety. Suppliers of by-products of the food industry, suppliers of surplus food and food recyclers (i.e. manufacturers of compound feed from surplus food) are required to register with my Department as feed business operators. Food recyclers in Ireland remove as much packaging as possible using mechanical de-wrappers. When official controls detect non compliances, businesses are instructed to take remedial action as required.
Limited research has been conducted on the risks to human or animal health. While the European Food Safety Authority has conducted an evaluation on the safety of microplastics exposure from food, it has not specifically assessed the risks associated with the ingestion of packaging from former foodstuffs by animals. A study carried out in 2011 concluded that ‘major animal or human health risks have not emerged from the current evaluation’ and that ‘a tolerance level higher than zero could be acceptable’
It is widely acknowledged among Member States that achieving zero presence for these specific materials in animal feed is almost impossible and certain Member States have set a de facto tolerance of 0.15% as a consequence (the equivalent of 15g in one tonne).
