The European Feed Manufacturers' Federation (FEFAC) was founded in 1959 by five national compound feed associations from France, Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.
FEFAC membership today consists of 21 national associations in 20 EU Member States as full members as well as Associations in Switzerland, Turkey, Norway, Croatia, Serbia and Russia with observer/associate member status. The European compound feed industry employs over 110,000 persons on app. 4,500 production sites often in rural areas, which offer few employment opportunities. Farm animals in the EU-27 consume an estimated 465 million tonnes of feed a year, of which about 30% are produced by the compound feed manufacturers. Turnover of the European compound feed industry in 2009 is estimated at 40 billion €.
FEFAC is the only independent spokesman of the European Compound Feed Industry at the level of the European Institutions. FEFAC holds observer status in CODEX Alimentarius.
FEFAC's mission is to
- represent, defend and promote the interests of the European compound feed industry to the European Institutions;
lobby for a legislative framework and its implementation, without discrimination in EU Member States so as to maximise market opportunities for EU compound feed companies;
- safeguard conditions of free access to raw materials, the proper functioning of their markets and the definition of their quality;
- develop professional rules and good manufacturing practices that ensure the quality and the safety of compound feed;
- encourage the sustainable development of animal productions responding to the market requirements, so as to maximise market opportunities for EU compound feed companies.
The feed industry: An essential partner of the rural economy of the EU
150 million tonnes of feed materials
processed into 150 million tonnes of compound feed
by 110,000 people
working in 4,500 feed units located in rural areas
for a total value of 40 billion €
which, on top of 230 million tonnes of forages and 110 million tonnes of feed materials directly used by livestock farmers
enable to safely feed every year:
- 6 billion broilers,
- 370 million laying hens,
- 260 million pigs,
- 90 million bovines and
- 100 million sheep & goats
to provide the 490 million EU-citizens with:
- 130 million hectoliters of safe milk
- 45 million tonnes of safe meat and
- 6 million tonnes of safe eggs.