Are you using feeds containing restricted proteins on your farm?
If you have both ruminant livestock and non-ruminant livestock, e.g. cattle and pigs, or you have a pheasant shoot, there is a chance that you are using animal feeds that contain ‘restricted proteins’.
Many UK farmers will either remember or have heard about the BSE or Mad Cow Disease breakout in the mid 1980’s. BSE (Bovine spongiform encephalopathy) is a disease from the TSE (Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies) family. It is following this outbreak that measures were put into place to ensure the safety of food, from production to sale. One of these measures was the TSE-related feed ban.
This involves the ban on feeds containing restricted proteins, namely processed animal protein of ruminant origin, being fed back to ruminants. There are some exceptions on the use of restricted proteins, including the feeding of them to non-ruminant animals.
Therefore, if you are using feed stuffs containing restricted proteins to feed other livestock on your farm, for example to pheasants, but you have ruminants on the farm too, you would need to complete a BSE50 form. This is so that you can apply to register for permission to purchase and use feed containing restricted proteins, on premises where ruminants are kept.
The feed containing restricted protein needs to be stored, handled and fed in such a way that ruminant animals cannot have access to it.
For more information on what proteins can and cannot be fed, see the guidance booklet on the below link:
