Feed safety directly affects animal health and welfare, as well as the safety of the food people consume every day. Aligning national legislation in this area with EU standards is therefore an important part of Serbia’s preparations under negotiating Chapter 12 – Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Policy.
On 18 September 2026, the PLAC IV project, in cooperation with the Veterinary Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, organised a workshop in Belgrade on aligning national feed legislation with the EU acquis and presenting proposed regulations. The workshop was opened by Dijana Marković Bajalović, PLAC IV Key Legal Expert, and Tamara Bošković, Head of Department at the Veterinary Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management.
SUPPORT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW LEGISLATION
PLAC IV experts Slavica Nikolić-Stajković and Jelena Vračar Filipović led the workshop and presented the work carried out under the project, in cooperation with the Veterinary Directorate, to align national legislation with EU legislation in this area. The workshop began with an overview of the Republic of Serbia’s current legal framework governing feed, followed by a presentation of the provisions of the Draft Law on Animal Feed. Particular attention was paid to alignment with EU rules governing feed hygiene and the placing of feed on the market, as well as the EU Catalogue of Feed Materials. Provisions concerning undesirable substances and detoxification processes were also highlighted.
As part of this activity, PLAC IV provided technical and legal support for the drafting of rulebooks as the secondary legislation necessary to implement the new Law, covering feed hygiene, undesirable substances, medicated feed and detoxification processes. The support also included the preparation of tables of concordance with the relevant EU legislation.
SAFE ANIMAL FEED – SAFER FOOD FOR PEOPLE
Feed control is an important link in the overall food safety system. Contaminated or poor quality feed can endanger animal health, while harmful substances, such as mycotoxins, heavy metals or residues of medicinal products, can pass along the food chain through meat, milk and eggs consumed by people.
Proper control of medicated feed, through which animals receive treatment, is particularly important to ensure the justified and appropriate use of veterinary medicinal products, while reducing the risks of antimicrobial resistance and the presence of unauthorised residues in food.
Harmonising legislation in this area is part of Serbia’s preparations under Chapter 12, one of the most demanding chapters of the EU acquis. The ultimate objective is to establish a more reliable control system that protects animal health, improves food safety and helps ensure that products from Serbia meet the same standards that apply on the European Union market.
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