Feed assurance guide · Sources checked October 2026
Feed hygiene record keeping requirements for feed and grain businesses
Feed hygiene record keeping requirements in the UK come from Regulation (EC) No 183/2005 on feed hygiene: every feed business operator keeps a register of purchases, production and sales so feed can be traced, and businesses beyond primary production also keep a HACCP-based procedure with records, quality control and process records, and a complaints and recall system. AIC’s UFAS, FEMAS and TASCC schemes add their own rules, including keeping records for at least three years.
Last updated .
Feed compliance requirements UK
What feed law says about records
The legislation as published on legislation.gov.uk, and the FSA’s guidance on GOV.UK. Read the linked text for the full wording; England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland each have their own enforcement rules.
On smaller screens, scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| Topic | What the legislation or guidance says (paraphrased) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Registration or approval | Businesses that make, market or use animal feed register, or for some activities are approved, with the local authority where they operate, usually Trading Standards or Environmental Health | FSA: starting an animal feed business, checked October 2026 |
| Who feed law covers | Importers, merchants including those buying from farmers, hauliers, traders and brokers who never hold stock, food businesses supplying the feed chain, livestock farms and some arable farms | FSA: animal feed legislation, checked October 2026 |
| Feed HACCP requirements | Operators beyond primary production keep a permanent written procedure based on the seven HACCP principles, with documents and records suited to their size, and review it when products or processes change | Regulation 183/2005, Article 6, checked October 2026 |
| Feed HACCP records | Operators give the competent authority evidence of their HACCP procedure in the form it asks for, and keep the written procedure up to date | Regulation 183/2005, Article 7, checked October 2026 |
| Purchases, production and sales | Every feed business operator, including traders who never hold the product, keeps a register of purchase, production and sales data so feed can be traced from receipt to delivery | Regulation 183/2005, Annex II, record-keeping, checked October 2026 |
| Process and quality control records | Operators other than pure traders keep manufacturing and control documentation, a written quality control plan with results, and traceability details for each product type, such as suppliers, quantities, dates and customers | Regulation 183/2005, Annex II, quality control and record-keeping, checked October 2026 |
| Feed recall records | A system for logging and handling complaints, a recall system where needed, and written procedures for what happens to recalled products | Regulation 183/2005, Annex II, complaints and product recall, checked October 2026 |
| Feed traceability requirements | Operators can identify who supplied them and whom they supplied, and make that information available to the authorities on request | Regulation 178/2002, Article 18, checked October 2026 |
| How long to keep records | Annex II sets no fixed number of years for these records; quality control records and samples are kept for a period suited to the feed’s use. The AIC schemes set at least three years | Regulation 183/2005, Annex II, checked October 2026 |
Sources checked October 2026. Scheme standards and legislation change: open the linked source before relying on any row. This page is general information, not legal advice, and it cannot tell you whether you will pass an audit: your certification body decides conformity, and your local authority enforces feed law.
Feed assurance record keeping under AIC schemes
What the assurance schemes add
The 2024 editions of the three AIC standards, paraphrased.
On smaller screens, scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| Record rule | FEMAS 2024 | UFAS 2024 | TASCC 2024 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How records are made | Legible and indelible; show what, when and who; changes leave the original readable (B3) | Same principles (J2.1 to J2.4) | Same principles; no correction fluid (G8) | |
| Retention | At least three years (B3.5) | At least three years (J2.5); five for controlled products (K14.2) | At least three years (G8) | |
| Feed supplier approval records | Documented risk assessment of each raw material and supplier before use (C1.3) | Approval system for feeds and feed suppliers (C1, C2) | Purchasing, selection and approval of suppliers and subcontractors (M3) | |
| Recall and traceability tests | Each at least every 12 months (J3.6, K4.1) | Each at least every 12 months (I3.7, J2.8) | Each at least every 12 months (M20, G19) |
For how the schemes differ beyond records, read UFAS vs FEMAS vs TASCC. Sources checked October 2026. Scheme standards and legislation change: open the linked source before relying on any row. This page is general information, not legal advice, and it cannot tell you whether you will pass an audit: your certification body decides conformity, and your local authority enforces feed law.
Feed compliance checklist
Feed traceability records and the rest: a practical list
A preparation aid, not the official checklist. It is a practical reading of the sources above, not a legal test, and it does not replace your scheme’s own checklist or your local authority’s view.
Sources: Regulation 183/2005, Annex II and the FEMAS, UFAS and TASCC 2024 standards, checked October 2026.
- Registration or approval: the local authority registration and any approval, with the activity codes it covers.
- HACCP: the HACCP study, process flow, control points, monitoring records, corrective actions and the dated review.
- Supplier approval: each supplier’s approval, its assurance status and the date it was last checked.
- Intake: what came in, from whom, when, by which vehicle, and any samples taken.
- Production or processing: formulations, batches, quantities and control results.
- Grain storage compliance records: store cleaning and approval, monitoring of crops in store, treatments applied and pest control.
- Haulage: previous loads, cleaning between loads and, for farm-collected combinable crops, the passport.
- Sales and despatch: what went out, to whom, when and in which vehicle.
- Complaints and recall: each complaint, the recall procedure, and the dated results of recall and traceability tests.
- Training and calibration: who is trained for what, and calibration of weighbridges, probes and other monitoring equipment.
Grain traceability records: worked example (fictional)
A traceability exercise from one load
A fictional business and load, for illustration only. It is not advice on what your records need.
1
Pick a load
Example Grain Trading Ltd, a fictional merchant, picks one load of feed wheat sold to a feed mill last month.
2
Trace forward
The despatch note gives the date, vehicle, quantity and customer; the haulier’s record shows the previous loads carried in that trailer.
3
Trace back
The store’s bin records show which intakes went into the bin, and the intake records and passports identify the farms.
4
Check the store
Monitoring, treatment and pest records for that bin are pulled for the storage period.
5
Record the result
The time taken, any gaps found and the actions agreed are written up and fed into the management review.
Related guides
Where to read next
Each scheme has its own audit.
See the FEMAS audit checklist, the UFAS audit checklist, the TASCC audit checklist and UFAS vs FEMAS vs TASCC.
Feed and grain record tracking is not available yet
Soteriaa is building feed and grain assurance record tracking; join the waitlist. It is not available yet, and it will not audit, certify or decide whether you conform to any scheme. Join the feed and grain waitlist to hear when it opens.
FAQ
Common questions
What records does feed hygiene law require?
Regulation 183/2005 requires every feed business operator to keep a register of purchases, production and sales. Operators beyond primary production also keep a HACCP-based procedure with records, quality control and process records, and a complaints and recall system.
How long must feed records be kept?
Annex II of Regulation 183/2005 sets no fixed number of years for these records. The AIC schemes require at least three years, and UFAS requires five years for feeds containing controlled products. Customers or other laws may require longer.
Do traders who never handle feed need records?
Yes. Annex II says all feed business operators, including traders who never hold the product, keep a register of purchase and sales data.
Who enforces feed hygiene law?
Feed businesses register with, or are approved by, their local authority, usually Trading Standards or Environmental Health. The FSA publishes guidance on the law.
Join the feed and grain waitlist
Leave your email and we will tell you when feed and grain assurance record tracking opens. It is not available yet, and nothing is on sale.