Ensuring Supply Chain Integrity: Traceability and Segregation Testing Rules under ASC Feed Appendix 14

Understanding the Scope of the Segregation Production Model

Under Criterion 3.1 and Appendix 14 of the ASC Feed Standard V1.2, feed manufacturers operating under the Segregation Production Model must guarantee that certified feed products contain exclusively eligible ingredients. Unlike the Mass Balance Model, where eligible and non-eligible ingredients may be physically co-mingled during manufacturing, the Segregation Model requires complete physical isolation and end-to-end traceability of eligible raw materials at every stage under the control of the feed mill.

To satisfy certification requirements, feed mills must establish documented traceability procedures, implement operational controls to prevent mixing, and perform annual verification tests to validate system effectiveness.

Operational Controls for Physical and Time Segregation

Feed manufacturers can employ several operational strategies to maintain strict ingredient segregation, depending on mill layout, storage capacity, and production line complexity:

1. Physical Segregation: Utilizing dedicated storage silos, designated warehouse bays, color-coded transfer equipment, and isolated production lines exclusively reserved for eligible raw materials and finished ASC Segregation feed.

2. Time Segregation and Production Scheduling: In facilities sharing production lines across certified and non-certified products, feed mills schedule production runs according to risk. Segregation Model feed is manufactured first, typically at the start of a production shift or immediately following a comprehensive facility cleanup, followed by Mass Balance feed and standard commercial feeds.

3. Equipment Purging and Flushing Protocols: When switching a shared production line from non-certified feed to Segregation Model feed, processing equipment and transfer pipes must be flushed using eligible ingredients to remove residual carryover. The flushed material, which contains a mixture of eligible and non-eligible residues, is designated as non-eligible ingredient status and may be repurposed into Mass Balance feed or terrestrial livestock feed. Mills must document flush volume calculations based on pipe length, diameter, and line speed, incorporating an additional safety buffer, such as five percent extra volume, to ensure complete line clearing.

4. The Four-Hour Completion Threshold: To ensure operational responsiveness during emergencies, traceability test results must be completed and documented within four hours from the start of the exercise.

5. Bi-Directional Traceability Testing:

• Forward Traceability Check: The mill selects a specific batch code and known quantity of an eligible ingredient and traces it forward through receiving records, pick logs, formulation software, and batching records to identify all finished product lots produced, remaining warehouse stock, and the immediate customers who received the dispatched feed.
• Backward Traceability Check: The mill selects a dispatched lot of finished ASC Segregation feed and traces it backward through production logs, batching sheets, and storage bin records to verify the identity, lot numbers, and supplier sources of every eligible ingredient used in that batch.

1. Quantity Reconciliation and Discrepancy Justification: The test requires reconciling the total received volume of an ingredient against the amounts consumed in finished feed, unused stock remaining in storage, process waste, promotional samples, and retain samples removed for laboratory testing. Any quantity variance must be investigated and justified, such as weight changes caused by moisture addition, drying, or typical mechanical handling losses.

• ASC Feed Standard V1.2 (Criterion 3.1, Indicators 3.1.5 and 3.1.6, Appendix 11, Appendix 12, Appendix 14)
• ASC Feed Standard Interpretation Manual V1.2 (Criterion 3.1 Guidance and Appendix 14)
• ASC Logo and Claim User Guide for Feed Mills (February 2023)