Minor dairy species also to profit from yeast additive

The Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP), part of EFSA, was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the safety and efficacy of a zootechnical feed additive consisting of a dried preparation of a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This product* is already authorised for use in feed for piglets, cattle for fattening, dairy cows, horses and sows. The applicant has now requested that the product be authorised for use as a zootechnical additive (functional group: gut flora stabilisers) in diets for dairy buffaloes, dairy sheep and dairy goats, and for buffaloes and goats for fattening.

Data still apply

The additive that is the subject of the present application has the same formulation and method of manufacture as that considered in previous applications. Thus, the data pertaining to impurities, physical properties and shelf life still apply. The data on stability in premixtures, mash feed and pelleted feed for dairy cows and cattle for fattening are considered applicable to minor species, given the likely similarity in feed formulation.

Safety for more species is presumed

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is considered by EFSA to be suitable for the qualified presumption of safety approach to safety assessment. As the identity of the production strain has been previously established and as the additive essentially consists of only the active agent, safety for the new target species, for consumers of milk and/or meat derived from minor ruminants and for the environment is presumed.

The efficacy of the additive has been demonstrated for dairy cows and cattle for fattening, which are considered the relevant major species. As the mechanism of action of the additive can be reasonably assumed to be the same, efficacy for minor ruminant species used for milk and/or for fattening when used at minimum doses established for the major species can be presumed without the need for specific studies. This would be 2 × 109 colony-forming units (CFU)/kg feed for minor dairy ruminants and 4 × 109 CFU/kg feed for minor ruminants for fattening.

*Biosprint®