Diario Oficial de la Unión Europea del 23/5/2022 - Comunicaciones e Informaciones
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Source: Diario Oficial de la Unión Europea - Comunicaciones e Informaciones
EN
23.5.2022
Official Journal of the European Union
C 206/1
I
Resolutions, recommendations and opinions
RECOMMENDATIONS
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION
of 20 May 2022
on monitoring the presence of inorganic arsenic in feed 2022/C 206/01
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 292 thereof, Whereas:
1
The inorganic and organic forms of arsenic differ significantly in their toxicity, the organic arsenic compounds exhibiting a very low toxic potential. Consequently, the potential adverse effects of arsenic on animal and human health are determined by the inorganic fraction in a given feed or food product. In feed materials such as fish, other aquatic animals and products derived thereof, and algae and products derived thereof, arsenic is present predominantly in the organic forms. Data reporting only total arsenic in such feed materials are difficult to interpret in terms of the potential to induce adverse effects.
2
Directive 2002/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council 1 establishes maximum levels for arsenic in a wide range of products intended for animal feed. The maximum levels refer to total arsenic, as when establishing the maximum levels for arsenic in feed, no routine method of analysis was available to analyse inorganic arsenic separately and only the level of total arsenic could be routinely analysed.
3
The European Union Reference Laboratory for metals and nitrogenous compounds confirmed that routine methods of analysis are available to analyse inorganic arsenic in feed of marine, animal and plant origin but not in mineral feed matrices. However in mineral feed, the arsenic will be present in inorganic form and hence a total arsenic determination is in such feed matrices a good estimate of the inorganic arsenic concentration.
4
Only limited occurrence data on the presence of inorganic arsenic in feed are available in the European Food Safety Authority EFSA database.
5
It is therefore appropriate to monitor the presence of inorganic arsenic in feed across the Union before considering the setting of maximum levels of inorganic arsenic in certain feed or any other risk management measures needed to ensure a high level of animal and human health protection,
1 Directive 2002/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 May 2002 on undesirable substances in animal feed OJ L 140, 30.5.2002, p. 10.
