Scope
Directive 2002/32/EC sets maximum levels for undesirable substances in products intended for animal feed. This page records Annex I, Section I entries for total arsenic, cadmium, lead, and total mercury in feed materials, additives, premixtures, complementary feed, complete feed, compound feed, and selected pet-feed or aquatic-feed subscopes.
Exact limit and units
| Metal | Products intended for animal feed | Maximum content | Unit | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| total arsenic (tAs) | feed materials | 2 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| total arsenic (tAs) | meal made from grass, dried lucerne, dried clover, dried sugar beet pulp and dried molasses sugar beet pulp | 4 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| total arsenic (tAs) | palm kernel expeller | 4 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| total arsenic (tAs) | peat; leonardite | 5 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| total arsenic (tAs) | phosphates; calcareous marine algae | 10 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| total arsenic (tAs) | calcium carbonate; calcium and magnesium carbonate; calcareous marine shells | 15 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| total arsenic (tAs) | magnesium oxide; magnesium carbonate | 20 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| total arsenic (tAs) | fish, other aquatic animals and products derived thereof | 25 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| total arsenic (tAs) | seaweed meal and feed materials derived from seaweed | 40 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| total arsenic (tAs) | iron particles used as tracer | 50 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| total arsenic (tAs) | feed additives belonging to the functional group of compounds of trace elements | 30 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| total arsenic (tAs) | cupric sulphate pentahydrate; cupric carbonate; dicopper chloride trihydroxide; ferrous carbonate; dimanganese chloride trihydroxide | 50 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| total arsenic (tAs) | zinc oxide; manganous oxide; cupric oxide | 100 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| total arsenic (tAs) | complementary feed | 4 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| total arsenic (tAs) | mineral feed | 12 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| total arsenic (tAs) | complementary feed for pet animals containing fish, other aquatic animals and products derived thereof and/or seaweed meal and feed materials derived from seaweed | 10 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| total arsenic (tAs) | long-term supply formulations of feed for particular nutritional purposes with a concentration of trace elements higher than 100 times the established maximum content in complete feed | 30 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| total arsenic (tAs) | complete feed | 2 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| total arsenic (tAs) | complete feed for fish and fur animals | 10 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| total arsenic (tAs) | complete feed for pet animals containing fish, other aquatic animals and products derived thereof and/or seaweed meal and feed materials derived from seaweed | 10 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| cadmium (Cd) | feed materials of vegetable origin | 1 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| cadmium (Cd) | feed materials of animal origin | 2 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| cadmium (Cd) | feed materials of mineral origin | 2 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| cadmium (Cd) | phosphates | 10 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| cadmium (Cd) | feed additives belonging to the functional group of compounds of trace elements | 10 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| cadmium (Cd) | cupric oxide; manganous oxide; zinc oxide; manganous sulphate monohydrate | 30 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| cadmium (Cd) | feed additives belonging to the functional groups of binders and anti-caking agents | 2 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| cadmium (Cd) | premixtures | 15 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| cadmium (Cd) | complementary feed | 0.5 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| cadmium (Cd) | mineral feed containing less than 7 percent phosphorus | 5 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| cadmium (Cd) | complementary feed for pet animals | 2 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| cadmium (Cd) | long-term supply formulations of feed for particular nutritional purposes with a concentration of trace elements higher than 100 times the established maximum content in complete feed | 15 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| cadmium (Cd) | complete feed | 0.5 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| cadmium (Cd) | complete feed for cattle except calves, sheep except lambs, goats except kids, and fish | 1 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| cadmium (Cd) | complete feed for pet animals | 2 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| lead (Pb) | feed materials | 10 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| lead (Pb) | forage | 30 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| lead (Pb) | phosphates; calcareous marine algae; calcareous marine shells | 15 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| lead (Pb) | calcium carbonate; calcium and magnesium carbonate | 20 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| lead (Pb) | yeasts | 5 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| lead (Pb) | feed additives belonging to the functional group of compounds of trace elements | 100 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| lead (Pb) | zinc oxide | 400 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| lead (Pb) | manganous oxide; ferrous carbonate; cupric carbonate; copper(I) oxide | 200 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| lead (Pb) | feed additives belonging to the functional groups of binders and anti-caking agents | 30 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| lead (Pb) | clinoptilolite of volcanic origin; natrolite-phonolite | 60 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| lead (Pb) | premixtures | 200 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| lead (Pb) | complementary feed | 10 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| lead (Pb) | mineral feed | 15 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| lead (Pb) | long-term supply formulations of feed for particular nutritional purposes with a concentration of trace elements higher than 100 times the established maximum content in complete feed | 60 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| lead (Pb) | complete feed | 5 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| total mercury (tHg) | feed materials | 0.1 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| total mercury (tHg) | fish, other aquatic animals and products derived thereof intended for production of compound feed for food-producing animals | 0.5 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| total mercury (tHg) | fish, other aquatic animals and products derived thereof intended for production of compound feed for dogs, cats, ornamental fish and fur animals | 1 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| total mercury (tHg) | fish, other aquatic animals and products derived thereof as canned wet feed material for direct feeding of dogs and cats | 0.3 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| total mercury (tHg) | calcium carbonate; calcium and magnesium carbonate | 0.3 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| total mercury (tHg) | compound feed | 0.1 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| total mercury (tHg) | mineral feed | 0.2 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| total mercury (tHg) | compound feed for fish | 0.2 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
| total mercury (tHg) | compound feed for dogs, cats, ornamental fish and fur animals | 0.3 | mg/kg (ppm) | feed with 12 percent moisture |
The cadmium row for mineral feed containing at least 7 percent phosphorus is not transcribed as a single register value because the directive states it as 0.75 mg/kg per 1 percent phosphorus with a maximum of 7.5 mg/kg.
How tested
The Annex expresses maximum contents in mg/kg (ppm) relative to feed with a moisture content of 12 percent. Footnotes state that arsenic maximum levels refer to total arsenic and mercury maximum levels refer to total mercury; competent authorities may request inorganic-arsenic demonstration below 2 ppm for selected arsenic rows. A lead footnote gives a nitric-acid extraction condition for kaolinitic clay and feed containing kaolinitic clay.
Enforcement posture
The directive requires Member States to ensure that products intended for animal feed may be used only if they are sound, genuine, merchantable quality and do not represent danger to animal or human health or the environment when properly used. Annex I maximum levels are the operative contaminant ceilings for the listed feed scopes.
History of changes
Directive 2002/32/EC was adopted on 7 May 2002. The local PDF is a EUR-Lex consolidated version current to 28 November 2019, with later amendment markers embedded in the Annex.
How it compares
The animal-feed table is broader than food-only contaminant regulations because it covers feed materials, feed additives, premixtures, complementary feed, and complete feed. Its values should not be copied onto human food products or pet-food rows unless the product scope and basis match the feed wording.
Sources
Update history
No substantive edit history is available in this build. The full commit record is available in git.