ACAF Annual Report 2023/24 - Membership and appointments

Membership and appointments

Appointments 

The Advisory Committee on Animal Feedingstuffs (ACAF) comprises an independent chair and fifteen independent members. All Members are appointed through open competition. 

The Committee is made up of a range of experts, covering relevant scientific disciplines, and knowledge of the feed sector who provide insight, advice and the technical knowledge needed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of animal feedstuffs applications. 

Members of the Committee can be appointed as full members, or associate members. Full members are recognised as experts in their field and have specific technical/ scientific expertise to complement the Committee. Associate members are not sufficiently experienced to join as full members and are assigned a mentor during their term. 

Periods of appointment 

Full members and associate members are given a standard first term of three years and one year, respectively. The Chair is given a standard term of five years.  

Members can be reappointed, but the maximum length of continuous service is normally ten years.  

Management of interests 

Interests of Members and any potential conflicts of interest are managed in accordance with The FSAs Approach to Managing the Interests of its External Scientific Advisers and the ACAF Code of Practice.   

A public register is held of all Members’ personal and non-personal interests, which is updated at least annually. The Chair gives Members the opportunity to declare any potential conflicts of interest before any discussions. The Chair and the Secretariat are responsible for determining whether interests pose a conflict, and if so, how this should be managed. All conflicts of interests and the resulting decision are recorded in the meeting minutes.  

For the register of Members’ interests during the 2023/24 FY, refer to Appendix I. 

New appointments in 2023/2024 

Prof. Emily Burton, Dr Olivia Champion, Ms Hannah Kane joined the Committee as full Members in June 2023.  

Dr Oonagh Markey joined as an associate Member in June 2023.  

Nicholas Jonsson was officially appointed as Chair in June 2023, having previously served as a Committee Member and Acting Chair.  

Christel Wake joined the Committee as a full Member in March 2024. 

Retirements and resignations in 2023/2024 

Dr Olivia Champion resigned from the Committee in September after a short term as member. There were no other resignations during the time period of this report.