Rural Payments and Services

The Scottish Government has launched a consultation on livestock feed controls for TSEs (transmissible spongiform encephalopathies). You can share your views on our proposals on the Scottish Government’s Consultation platform.

Livestock feed controls protect both livestock and public health. The strict controls ensure that livestock feed is kept free from disease. The Scottish Government wish to ensure that these controls continue to be effective, proportionate, and based on the latest scientific evidence. This consultation focuses on the risk of spreading TSEs in livestock feed.

Our understanding of TSEs and how they are transmitted has increased greatly since controls were put in place in the TSE Scotland Regulations in 2010. Scottish livestock feed regulations no longer reflect current scientific knowledge or the level of TSE risk.

We are therefore proposing updating TSE legislation, in line with recent changes in EU law. The changes would allow:

• poultry processed animal protein (PAP) in porcine feed
• porcine PAP in poultry feed
• insect PAP in pig and poultry feed Ruminant collagen and gelatine (C&G) in non-ruminant feed

These changes would allow our legislation to reflect current scientific evidence and advice, and allow business innovation in the animal feed sector, especially in the research and development of insect protein. They would also allow the Scottish Government to support industry in achieving sustainable farming goals by reducing reliance on imported soyabean and fishmeal protein for poultry and pig feed. It would also create trade opportunities with EU when new products are developed.

This public consultation covers Scotland. A separate consultation on the same topic will be published by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Welsh Governments, with the intention that any potential future changes made would be implemented at the same time across Great Britian.

Before responding to the consultation, please read the consultation paper. This document contains more information on the proposals, including:

• information on the history of TSEs in Scotland
• more information on the proposed changes
• our plans for ensuring PAP cross contamination does not occur

The consultation will run from 3 October 2024 to 26 December 2024.

We look forward to hearing your views.