Now that the Animal Feed Hygiene Regulation is in force, the application of HACCP principles is generally mandatory for all animal feed companies. The Animal Feed Hygiene Regulation  offers these companies the opportunity to comply with the requirements by applying a Hygiene Code. A code such as this may be submitted for a sector. The government then assesses this and approves it or not. The approval can take place as well on national level as on European level. 

Dutch Hygiene codes

The GMP+ Certification Scheme for the Animal Feed Sector 2006 contains all the elements necessary for a Hygiene Code (and  more than that). The GMP⁺ standards can therefore serve as the basis for codes which are being submitted. If desired, the PDV will submit Hygiene Codes to the government for the animal feed column. The provisions of these Hygiene Codes are derived from the GMP⁺ standards and an implementation of the statutory provisions of the Animal Feed Hygiene Regulation. The aim is to obtain approval for the Hygiene Codes as quickly as possible from the Ministry of Agriculture.

Benefit for companies which are GMP⁺-certified:

These certified companies already comply with the statutory provisions of the Animal Feed Hygiene Regulation  through participation in the GMP+ Certification Scheme for the Animal Feed Sector 2006. It has been made clear via a GMP⁺ /  Hygiene Code cross-reference table which provisions from the Hygiene Code have been included in which place in the GMP⁺ standards. The GMP⁺-certified companies can use this to show, in the event of a Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority audit, that the requirements of the animal feed hygiene regulation have been imposed via GMP⁺-certification. This will allow the Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority audits of the companies to run more quickly and more efficiently.

Benefit for companies which are not GMP⁺-certified:

By working in accordance with the Hygiene Code these companies can demonstrate to the competent authority that they work in accordance with the statutory provisions of the Animal Feed Hygiene Regulation. The Hygiene Code is therefore not without commitment. The Code obliges the user to implement it and to apply it unless companies decide on the setting up and application of their own HACCP plan or a GMP system which is at least equivalent. By working with the Hygiene Code the VWA (Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority) audit of companies can take place more quickly and more efficiently.

The following Hygiene Codes have currently been approved for the animal feed sector by the Ministry of Agriculture:

•   Animal Feed Road Transport Hygiene Code (Dutch version)

    - Decree by the Ministry of Agriculture relating to the approval of the Road Transport Hygiene Code (Dutch v.)
    - GMP⁺ B4.1 and Road Transport Hygiene Code cross-reference table (Dutch version)