Efficacy of the feed additives consisting of Enterococcus faecium ATCC 53519 and E. faecium ATCC 55593 as silage additives for all animal species (FEFANA asbl)

Following a request from the European Commission, EFSA was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the efficacy of two technological additives (functional group: silage additives) consisting of <i>Enterococcus faecium</i> strains ATCC 53519 and ATCC 55593, respectively. The additives are intended for use with all types of fresh materials and for all animal species at a proposed minimum concentration of 1 × 10⁷ colony-forming units of <i>E. faecium</i> ATCC 53519/kg fresh material or 5 × 10⁶ CFU of <i>E. faecium</i> ATCC 55593/kg fresh material. In a previous opinion, the FEEDAP Panel could not conclude on their efficacy since the dry matter content of the ensiled materials at the end of the experiments was not corrected for volatiles, which led to unreliable estimation of the dry matter loss, and the lack of positive effects on any of the other parameters. The supplementary information submitted by the applicant included updated data on the dry matter loss corrected for volatiles. The results showed that, at the end of the ensiling process, the dry matter loss during the ensiling was significantly lower in the ensiled materials treated with <i>E. faecium</i> ATCC 53519 or ATCC 55593 compared to controls. The FEEDAP Panel concludes that the addition of <i>E. faecium</i> ATCC 53519 or ATCC 55593 in all types of fresh plant materials shows potential to improve the nutrient preservation of silage at the proposed conditions of use.