Several issues have severely shaken the publics confidence in the quality and wholesomeness of foods of animal origin. These include the outbreak of mad-cow disease, repeated episodes of dioxin and mycotoxin contamination, use of antibiotics in farm animals and foods exacerbating the problem of resistant bacteria, and the reluctance of manufacturers to adequately label their food products (e.g. by specifying that they contain ingredients from genetically modified organisms). As a result farmers, nutritionists, industry and governments have been obliged to pay serious attention to animal feedstuff production processes, and have acknowledged that animal feed safety is an essential prerequisite for human food safety. Concerns about these issues have produced a number of important effects including the ban on the use of processed animal proteins, the ban on the addition of most antimicrobials to farm animals diets for growth-promotion purposes, and the implementation of feed contaminant regulations in the EU. In this context it is essential to integrate and collate knowledge on feed safety and feed supply. In the field of feed safety, particular concerns are the control and reduction of feed contaminants such us mycotoxins, plant-produced toxins and residues, heavy metals, harmful biological agents (particularly pathogenic bacteria) and xenobiotics, and the monitoring of carryover from feed to food. It will also be important to develop new, more reliable and more accurate analytical methods (including screening and rapid methods) to identify and monitor these contaminants. The ban on the use of growth promoters and processed animal proteins, as well as the limitations on the use of modified organism in feed and bio-fuels production, have transformed the market in vegetable-based feedstuffs, and resulted in novel feeds and feed components becoming available. These products also require authentication and health and safety verification. Furthermore anti-nutritional factors of various origin (e.g. non-starch polysaccharides and non-digestible oligosaccharides) may be present which reduce feed efficiency and may have repercussions on safety and health. Methods are therefore required to characterise the disparate plant-derived products being proposed as feed constituents and to assess their effects on cell processes and gene expression in livestock animals. Vegetable sources may also contain contaminants and degradation products that may adversely affect animal health and productivity. The structure of feed production system also needs to be considered. Rising prices for feed worldwide require the development of new and more economic sources of energy and protein in animal diets. The entire European feed supply chain, from plant breeding, feed crop production and feed formulation, to the production of meat, dairy products, eggs, and aquaculture products, is experiencing difficulties because of competition from low production cost countries, and restrictions imposed national and EU regulations on environmental impact, animal welfare and traceability. The basic premise is that all aspects of food production must be considered to ensure the safety of human food, including all steps of the feed supply chain. Products from developing countries present particular difficulties: the feed supply chains have different structures, the climate amplifies risks of fungal contamination and renders monitoring costly, also because adequate monitoring infrastructures are not in place. It follows that priorities for action in these countries will differ from those within the EU. Ensuring that feed traded in the EU conforms to quality and traceability standards is a major undertaking. Better knowledge of the main routes of feed into Europe, identification of the major feed suppliers, and monitoring of final livestock destinations is important not only for enduring feed quality but also to provide information for the consumer to make informed buying choices. It will also be necessary to develop and validate of analytical methods (including rapid methods) to identify disparate ingredients in processed feeds in order to ensure correct labelling and conformity to quality standards. Accordingly feed safety and feed supply are intimately linked.