Minutes of 104th ACAF meeting
Updated 30 June 2026
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Attendance
ACAF
Nick Wheelhouse (Chair)
Barry BradfordMartin Briggs
Emily Burton
Katrina Campbell
Nick Jonsson
Susan MacDonald
Chris McAlinden
Donald Morrison
Derek Renshaw
Mike Salter
Adam Smith
Carla Viegas
Christel Wake
Helen Warren
FSA
| Nathan Allen Lorcan Browne Beth Hall Emily Hudson Francisco Matilla James Metcalfe Maria Murray Shila Sultana Johann Trotter Alba Ureña Rusillo Prof Ian Young Josephine Walker |
1. Apologies
Apologies were received from Hannah Kane.
2. Welcome
The Chair welcomed members of the Committee, Secretariat and observers from the Devolved Administrations.
3. Policy update
Animal Feed Policy Adviser, Beth Hall gave an update regarding the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement. It was also flagged that prioritisation principles agreed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) boards have been adopted.
4. Risk Assessment update
The Regulated Products Team Leader Francisco Matilla-Garcia updated the Committee regarding the reorganisation of the Regulated Products Unit, as the Feed Additives team combines with the Genetic Modification team to increase resilience. Members were informed of an upcoming meeting with Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) and industry representatives at the end of April to discuss the UK perspective on coccidiostat use in game birds. Lastly, members were notified of the upcoming recruitment/reappointment process for the Committee.
5. Minutes from 103rd Meeting
The Committee reviewed the minutes from the 103rd ACAF meeting and provided feedback to be reviewed by the Secretariat.
6. Update on SPS
The ACAF were updated on the latest available information on the status of the SPS agreement.
7. Coccidiostat & AMR position paper
Members reviewed the revised draft of the coccidiostat and AMR paper and discussed additional issues arising from the topic.
ACAF members agreed that, based on the information made available for the Committee, there isn’t sufficient reason to advise the FSA to take risk management action on the authorisation status of narasin.
ACAF agreed it would be useful to formulate a table to include in the appendix that includes all of the published and unpublished information that explores the concept that suggests that co-selection for resistance is a small possibility due to location of resistance genes on the same plasmid. The intention is to include this table in the next version of the document.
The Committee determined that more data on poultry husbandry is needed, including current methods of managing coccidiosis. Members concluded that they would reach out to industry contacts to gain information regarding current practise. This information is also intended to be included in the next version of the document.
It was highlighted that the only data submitted now for the EU surveillance of enterococci in the animal domain is on a voluntary basis, which affects the amount of data available.
8. Horizon scanning paper
Members reviewed the consolidated document and agreed it is broadly ready for publication, subject to minor amendments. Several sections - including phytogenic feed additives, mycotoxin contamination, alternative protein feed ingredients, and future research - were discussed in further detail. Members provided additional comments and suggested minor revisions, primarily aimed at refining the content, improving clarity, and ensuring alignment with the remit of the exercise.
9. ACAF annual progress report
Members reviewed the ACAF annual progress report detailing the work of the Committee for the financial year 2025/2026 and provided feedback.
10. Draft assessments: RP2074 and RP2187
The Committee was presented with the final drafts of the Safety Assessment documents for RP2074 and RP2187.
For RP2187 members requested for the product label to be updated to include information for use of the additive in water, as well as clarity on the units used in the efficacy studies. Members further discussed the efficacy of easy to ensile forages. They agreed with their previous conclusions that data cannot be extrapolated between different categories of forages and, therefore, no conclusion could be drawn on efficacy in easy to ensile forages.
The Committee provided feedback on final corrections and approved the opinions to be finalised and sent to Risk Managers.
11. Next ACAF meeting
9th June on Microsoft Teams.