1.The labelling and the presentation of feed materials and compound feed may draw particular attention to the presence or the absence of a substance in the feed, to a specific nutritional characteristic or process or to a specific function related to any of these, provided that the following conditions are met:
the claim is objective, verifiable by the competent authorities and understandable by the user of the feed; and
the person responsible for the labelling provides, at the request of the competent authority, scientific substantiation of the claim, either by reference to publicly available scientific evidence or through documented company research. The scientific substantiation shall be available at the time the feed is placed on the market. Purchasers shall have the right to bring to the attention of the competent authority their doubts in respect of the truthfulness of the claim. Where the conclusion is reached that the claim is not sufficiently substantiated, the labelling in respect of such claim shall be considered misleading for the purposes of Article 11. Where the competent authority has doubts regarding the scientific substantiation of the claim concerned, it may submit the issue to the Commission. The Commission may adopt a decision, where appropriate after obtaining an opinion from the Authority, in accordance with the advisory procedure laid down in Article 28(2).
2.Without prejudice to paragraph 1, claims concerning optimisation of the nutrition and support or protection of the physiological conditions are permitted, unless they contain a claim of the type referred to in paragraph 3(a).
3.The labelling or the presentation of feed materials and compound feed shall not claim that:
it will prevent, treat or cure a disease, except for coccidiostats and histomonostats as authorised under Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003; this point shall not, however, apply to claims concerning nutritional imbalances provided that there is no pathological symptom associated therewith;
it has a particular nutritional purpose, as provided for in the list of intended uses as referred to in Article 9, unless it satisfies the requirements laid down therein.
4.Specifications relating to the requirements laid down in paragraphs 1 and 2 may be included in the Community Codes referred to in Article 25.