QS Feed Monitoring

Producers of fatty acids from chemical refining, fatty acid distillates from physical refining, salts of fatty acids, mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, fish oil (incl. fish oil refined, hardened), crude coconut oil and raw cocoa butter, and producers of blended fats and oils which contain fatty acids and blended fatty acids must carry out a positive release sampling before marketing their end products. This means that these products can only be placed on the market if uncritical analysis results on certain parameters are already on available and handled to the customers.

Compound feed producers using these products have the option to purchase products which have no positive release sampling. However, they must then take over the positive release sampling for their suppliers before processing these products. This possibility exists only in the presence of a special release for the compound feed producer.

For more information on the positive release sampling in QS feed monitoring, see the Guideline Feed monitoring.

First, the company must at least once a year create a site-specific control plan based on the requirements of the Guideline Feed Monitoring, which must at least be met. This control plan considers the expected annual tonnage for each product group (sector-specific) that will be sold as QS goods. The planned analyses must be allocated reasonable over the year to the QS feed and the given parameters.

The samples must be taken by a qualified person who is trained and experienced in the sampling of feed. Then the sample related data must be entered into the QS database. Afterwards, the sample should be sent within 10 days, together with the printed sample report, to the QS-approved laboratory commissioned in the QS database. As soon as the sample related data in the database is in the state Laboratory Commissioned, the laboratory gets access to the data and can enter the analysis results in the QS database. The laboratory must enter the results of the analysis in the QS database at the latest 30 days after the sample has been received or 10 days after the end of the analysis. Once the laboratory has entered the analysis result and completed the sample related data, you can see the analysis results in the QS database under Feed Monitoring and Analysis Results. Here you can also compile the analyses for an evaluation by means of various filtering options or via a download function.

Instructions for using the QS database and entering the sample related data can be found in the support area of the QS database.

Feed monitoring of livestock owners is organized via the coordinator. If you are an on-farm mixer, inform your coordinator. It must be indicated which feed is used, how much is fed annually or how many animals are kept on the farm. As soon as something changes, you need to inform your coordinator. A definition of when you are considered as an on-farm mixer within the meaning of the QS scheme can be found in our Guidelines Agriculture.

The coordinator selects the farms where feed samples are taken and commissions the sampling and the examination. If samples have been taken on your farm, you will of course receive the result of the analysis from your coordinator.

With increased exposure of products with undesirable substances, QS can react immediately by creating a binding ad-hoc monitoring plan. Within this plan, QS can increase the number of analyses of the affected products, deviating from the Guideline Feed Monitoring. As far as relevant for the company, the ad-hoc monitoring plan must be implemented in addition to regular monitoring.

You can find out if there are currently ad-hoc monitoring plans in Annex 8.6 Ad-hoc monitoring plans to the Guideline Feed Monitoring.

The risk-oriented additional control plan Aflatoxin B1 in maize responds to the persistent contamination of aflatoxin in maize (products). It is adapted to the current harvest as well as monthly during the rest of the year and adjusted if necessary. The basis for the assessment of the risk classification are current analysis results, which are collected by QS and other international standard owners, notifications in the EU rapid alert system as well as risks due to weather conditions in the respective country.

Any QS certified feed company that purchases maize and maize processing products (feed material) must comply with the aflatoxin B1 additional control plan in addition to the annual analyses carried out in accordance with the Guideline Feed Monitoring (including pure delivery traders). If your supplier is certified by QS or a QS recognized standard, you do not need to apply the additional control plan because it is already met.

For more information on the additional control plan aflatoxin B1, see Annex 8.7 Additional control plans to the Guideline Feed Monitoring.

In the QS database, a plausibility check is automatically carried out between the analysis value and the deposited maximum level, action threshold or QS guidance value. In case of an exceedance, you will be informed by e-mail (to the legal representative).

In case of a maximum level, action threshold or QS guidance exceedance, you must immediately notify QS (notification via the paper of incident). QS supports you in clarifying the facts and initiation of measures. However, QS does not take over any official reporting obligation. You must report an exceedance or suspicion of an exceedance to your competent feed surveillance authority.

If you doubt the results of the analysis, a second examination can be commissioned by another laboratory. In this case, the first laboratory in the QS database must tick the clarification necessary option. Then you must commission a second laboratory to carry out a second examination via the QS database. Afterwards, the first laboratory sends the sample to the second laboratory. The second laboratory then examines the sample for the parameter for which the clarification necessary option was entered. If you have both analysis results, you must contact QS and report the results of the initial and second examination. QS will then clarify the facts together with you.

If the QS guidance value for aflatoxin B1 in feed for companies participating in the QM milk scheme has been exceeded, you must inform the QS head office as well as QM milk if you want to deliver to QM milk companies. If use in QM milk companies cannot be excluded, you must inform your customers that the QS guidance value has been exceeded and indicate the use of the feed (e.g. Product is not suitable for feeding dairy cows).

Feed producers, traders and agricultural businesses that mix their own feed rations must participate in feed monitoring. Excluded from QS feed monitoring are pure delivery traders and traders of exclusively packaged goods unless an additional control plan or ad-hoc monitoring plan also obliges them.

Further information on feed monitoring can be found in the Guideline Feed Monitoring and Annex 9.3 to the Guideline Feed Sector, as well as in Annex 8.5 Additional control plans and Annex 8.6 Ad-hoc monitoring plans to the Guideline Feed Monitoring.

The analysis in QS feed monitoring can only be carried out by QS-approved laboratories. The recognition of laboratories by QS is necessary to ensure compliance with the QS requirements and thus to ensure the comparability of analytical results between laboratories at a uniformly high level.

The approved laboratories are published here and can be selected in the sample related data in the QS database.

Feed monitoring monitors compliance with maximum levels, action thresholds and guidance values for mycotoxins, environmental toxins, plant protection products, salmonella, heavy metals, animal components and polycyclic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The control plans list the minimum parameters on which the feedstuffs must be examined at least per year, in terms of industry or animal species. The frequency of analysis depends on the annual quantity (tonnage) for QS feed per location.

You can find out which control plans apply to you in the Guideline Feed Monitoring.

The laboratories carrying out analysis in QS feed monitoring must be accredited in accordance with DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025. There are also minimum requirements for the range of analysis and the laboratories must participate in ring tests and laboratory competence tests in the feed sector.

For more information on the requirements for laboratories in QS feed monitoring, see the Guideline Feed Monitoring.