LegalizeCommission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/540 of 11 March 2026 concerning the authorisation of acacia gum as a feed additive for all animal species
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2003 on additives for use in animal nutrition (1), and in particular Article 9(2) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 provides for the authorisation of additives for use in animal nutrition and for the grounds and procedures for granting such an authorisation. Article 10(2) of that Regulation provides for the re-evaluation of additives authorised pursuant to Council Directive 70/524/EEC (2).
(2) Acacia gum was authorised without a time limit in accordance with Directive 70/524/EEC as a feed additive for all animal species in the category ‘emulsifying and stabilizing agents, thickeners and gelling agents’. That substance was subsequently entered in the Register of feed additives as an existing product, in accordance with Article 10(1), point (b), of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003.
(3) In accordance with Article 10(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 in conjunction with Article 7 thereof, an application was submitted for the re-evaluation of acacia gum as a feed additive for all animal species. The applicant requested the additive to be classified in the additive category ‘technological additives’ and in the functional groups ‘emulsifiers’ and ‘stabilisers’. The application was accompanied by the particulars and documents required under Article 7(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003. The applicant withdrew the application for the functional groups ‘thickeners’ and ‘gelling agents’.
(4) The European Food Safety Authority (‘the Authority’) concluded in its opinion of 24 June 2025 (3), which revised its opinion of 17 September 2022 (4), that, under the proposed conditions of use, acacia gum is safe for all animal species, consumers and the environment. The Authority also concluded that acacia gum is a potential dermal and respiratory sensitiser, and any exposure by dermal or inhalation routes is considered a risk. The Authority further concluded that acacia gum is efficacious as an emulsifier and in stabilising emulsions over time, which would support its efficacy as a stabiliser. The Authority also verified the report on the method of analysis of the feed additive in feed submitted by the Reference Laboratory set up by Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003.
(5) In view of the above, the Commission considers that acacia gum satisfies the conditions provided for in Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003. Accordingly, the use of that substance should be authorised. In addition, the Commission considers that appropriate protective measures should be taken to prevent adverse effects on the health of the users of the additive.
(6) Since safety reasons do not require the immediate application of the modifications to the conditions of authorisation of the substance concerned, it is appropriate to provide for a transitional period for interested parties to prepare themselves to meet the new requirements resulting from the authorisation.
(7) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
Authorisation
The substance specified in the Annex, belonging to the additive category ‘technological additives’ and to the functional group ‘emulsifiers’ and ‘stabilisers’, is authorised as an additive in animal nutrition, subject to the conditions laid down in that Annex.
Article 2
Transitional measures
The feed additive acacia gum, as authorised pursuant to Directive 70/524/EEC and premixtures containing this additive, which are produced and labelled before 1 October 2026 in accordance with the rules applicable before 1 April 2026 may continue to be placed on the market and used until the stocks concerned are exhausted.
Compound feed and feed materials containing the feed additive referred to in paragraph 1, which are produced and labelled before 1 April 2027 in accordance with the rules applicable before 1 April 2026 may continue to be placed on the market and used until the stocks concerned are exhausted if they are intended for food-producing animals.
Compound feed and feed materials containing the feed additive referred to in paragraph 1, which are produced and labelled before 1 April 2028 in accordance with the rules applicable before 1 April 2026 may continue to be placed on the market and used until the stocks concerned are exhausted if they are intended for non-food producing animals.
Article 3
Entry into force
This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Brussels, 11 March 2026.
For the Commission The President Ursula VON DER LEYEN
(1) OJ L 268, 18.10.2003, p. 29, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2003/1831/oj.
(2) Council Directive 70/524/EEC of 23 November 1970 concerning additives in feeding-stuffs (OJ L 270, 14.12.1970, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/1970/524/oj).
(3) EFSA Journal, 23(7), e9542, https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2025.9542.
(4) EFSA Journal 2022; 20(4):7252, https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2022.7252.
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