The Walloon Agricultural Research Centre (CRA-W) was nominated by Commission regulation No 776/2006 of 23 may 2006 as the Community Reference Laboratory for animal proteins in feedingstuffs (EURL-AP) for the 2006-2011 period. At the term of this first mandate the CRA-W was renewed permanently as EURL-AP by Commission regulation No 208/2011 of 2 March 2011.

Our mission, in the global framework of the eradication of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE), focuses on the detection and identification of prohibited animal proteins in feed.  Effectively the prohibition of processed animal proteins (PAPs) in animal feed is the only way to prevent the spreading of TSEs to which the mad cow disease belongs.  In Europe a strict legislation has been set up over the years.  This resulted in the “total feed ban” or the total ban of PAPs in feed.  Each member state of the European Union needs to strictly apply this ban. A zero tolerance policy is into force as long as scientific methods will enable to make the distinction between animal by-products presenting no risk from other risky ones.  In order to ensure the correct implementation of the scientific methods and the development of the requested skills through each National Reference Laboratories of the member states, the EURL-AP is developing its activities and informing the European Commission on the state of the art of PAPs detection in feed inside the European Union

Our tasks, defined on legal basis by the European Commission as for other EURLs, spread over the following main duties :