6.5.2015   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 115/18

(1)

Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 provides for the authorisation of additives for use in animal nutrition and for the grounds and procedures for granting such authorisation. Article 10 of that Regulation provides for the re-evaluation of additives authorised pursuant to Council Directive 70/524/EEC (2).

(2)

Taurine was authorised without a time limit in accordance with Directive 70/524/EEC as feed additive on all animal species. This substance was subsequently entered in the Register of feed additives as an existing product, in accordance with Article 10(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003.

(3)

In accordance with Article 10(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003, in conjunction with Article 7 thereof, an application was submitted for the re-evaluation of taurine and preparations of taurine as a feed additive for all animal species and, in accordance with Article 7 of that Regulation, for a new use in water for drinking. The applicant requested this additive to be classified in the additive category ‘nutritional additives’. That application was accompanied by the particulars and documents required under Article 7(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003.

(4)

The European Food Safety Authority (‘the Authority’) concluded in its opinion of 22 May 2012 (3) that for use in diet for cats, dogs and carnivorous fish, synthetic taurine is considered efficacious. The historical use of diets containing up to 20 % feedingstuffs of animal origin led to the conclusion that up to 0,2 % taurine in complete feedingstuffs is tolerated by all animal species. The Authority recommends that taurine should no longer be authorised for use in poultry, pigs and ruminants. The Authority concluded that under the proposed conditions of use in feed and in water for drinking, taurine does not have adverse effects on animal health, human health or the environment.

(5)

The Authority further concluded that no safety concerns would arise for users. The Authority does not consider that there is a need for specific requirements of post-market monitoring. It also verified the report on the method of analysis of the feed additives in feed and water submitted by the Reference Laboratory set up by Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003.

(6)

The conclusions for cats and dogs can be extrapolated to species of the same family that is to Felidae and Canidae, as they are physiologically related species in terms of gastrointestinal function.

(7)

Mustelidae belongs to the order Carnivora as Felidae and Canidae. Mustelidae are carnivorous species and many of them obligate carnivorous. They require taurine and its precursors methionine or cysteine in the diet to maintain the normal taurine concentrations in the body. Traditional sources for taurine are muscle tissue, brain or viscera. Since heat processing and the use of alternative sources of protein (with low content of this amino acid) reduce the availability of taurine and its precursors in feeds, there is a historical use of diets containing taurine as a feed additive to ensure that the taurine requirements are satisfied for Mustelidae.

(8)

The assessment of taurine shows that the conditions for authorisation, as provided for in Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003, are satisfied. Accordingly, the use of this substance should be authorised as specified in the Annex to this Regulation.

(9)

Since safety reasons do not require the immediate application of the modifications to the conditions of authorisation, it is appropriate to allow a transitional period for interested parties to prepare themselves to meet the new requirements resulting from the authorisation.

(10)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,