Manufacture of feeds, feed mixtures, additives and premixes
Field of activity No. 9 under the Trade Licensing Act.
What you need: No professional qualification needed — general conditions and a notification suffice.
- Volná živnost
- Field No. 9
- See conditions below
- 8 activity examples
Manufacture of feeds, feed mixtures, additives and premixes is field no. 9 of the unqualified (free) trade (Annex 4 to the Trade Licensing Act). It requires no professional qualification; the general conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act suffice, and under Section 10 the licence arises already on the day of notification.
A clean criminal record within the meaning of Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act (proven by an extract from the Criminal Records Register, which the Trade Licensing Office obtains itself).
Professional qualification is NOT documented - this is an unqualified (free) trade under Annex 4 to the Trade Licensing Act and requires no education or experience.
No obstacle to carrying on the trade under Section 8 (e.g. ongoing insolvency or a court-imposed prohibition of activity).
The option to appoint a responsible representative under Section 11, though this is not mandatory; one person may hold the office of responsible representative for at most 4 entrepreneurs.
Note: special regulations apply concurrently - Act No. 91/1996 Coll., on feeds, and Regulation (EC) No. 183/2005; a feed establishment must be registered or approved with the Central Institute for Supervising and Testing in Agriculture (ÚKZÚZ) before starting activity. This registration or approval is independent of the trade licence.
Examples of activities
- Manufacture of complete and complementary feed mixtures for farm animals (cattle, pigs, poultry)
- Manufacture of feeds and feed mixtures for companion animals (dogs, cats, ornamental birds, aquarium fish)
- Manufacture of premixes (pre-mixtures) of additives for subsequent incorporation into feeds
- Manufacture and mixing of additives - vitamins, trace elements, amino acids and preservatives - into feeds
- Manufacture of mineral licks and mineral feed supplements for farm animals
- Manufacture of dietetic feeds and feeds for particular nutritional purposes for animals
- Drying, grinding and granulation of feed raw materials and their processing into feed form
- Packaging and placing of manufactured feeds, feed mixtures and premixes on the market
What the trade is and what it is for
The trade Manufacture of feeds, feed mixtures, additives and premixes is field no. 9 of the unqualified (free) trade (Annex 4 to the Trade Licensing Act). It entitles you to manufacture, process, treat, package and place on the market feeds for farm and companion animals, feed mixtures, feed additives and premixes (pre-mixtures of additives).
As an unqualified (free) trade it requires no professional qualification. It is enough to meet the general conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act, and under Section 10 the licence arises for you already on the day of notification at the Trade Licensing Office.
What falls under this trade (and what does not)
This trade covers in particular:
- manufacture of complete and complementary feed mixtures for cattle, pigs, poultry and other farm animals,
- manufacture of feeds for dogs, cats and other companion animals,
- manufacture of premixes and additives (vitamins, trace elements, amino acids, preservatives),
- manufacture of mineral feed supplements and licks,
- drying, grinding, granulation and other processing of feed raw materials into feed.
The boundary with other trades. The keeping of animals itself falls under field no. 5 (Animal keeping and training). The manufacture of food for human consumption falls under field no. 7 (Manufacture of food and starch products). The primary production of feed (industrially unprocessed feeds produced by agricultural primary producers - forage, hay, feed grain, etc.) is, according to the content of the field, not regarded as this trade.
Important: The trade licence is only one part. You must concurrently also meet special regulations - Act No. 91/1996 Coll., on feeds, and Regulation (EC) No. 183/2005. A feed establishment must be registered or approved with the ÚKZÚZ (Central Institute for Supervising and Testing in Agriculture) before starting activity. Approval (not just registration) is required in particular for the manufacture and placing on the market of certain additives and premixes. This obligation applies independently of the trade licence.
Medicated feed has its own regime. The manufacture of medicated feed and intermediate products is governed not only by feed regulations but also by Regulation (EU) 2019/4 - the establishment must be specially approved and this activity is tied to a veterinary prescription. It is therefore not an ordinary part of this free trade and the special conditions must be checked.
Statutory conditions for obtaining it
Because this is a free trade, it is enough to meet the general conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act:
- full legal capacity (for a minor it may be replaced by the consent of a court),
- a clean criminal record - proven by an extract from the Criminal Records Register, which the office obtains itself.
Professional qualification is not documented. For a free trade you do not have to prove any education or experience. There must, however, be no obstacle to carrying on the trade under Section 8 (e.g. insolvency or a court-imposed prohibition of activity).
You may appoint a responsible representative under Section 11, but this is not an obligation. One person may, however, act as responsible representative for at most 4 entrepreneurs. Legal persons appoint one according to the rules of Section 11.
How to notify or obtain the trade step by step
- Complete the Unified Registration Form (URF). It combines the notification of the trade with registration for tax, with the Czech Social Security Administration and with a health insurance company.
- Select the fields of the free trade you wish to carry on - field no. 9 may be notified together with other fields at once for a single fee.
- Submit the notification under Section 45 at any municipal Trade Licensing Office (central registration point), electronically via the rzp.gov.cz portal, or at a Czech POINT branch.
- Provide the documents and pay the fee.
- Wait for the entry. The Trade Licensing Office makes the entry in the Trade Register under Section 47 within 5 working days of delivery of a flawless notification. The licence, however, arises under Section 10 already on the day of notification.
- Register or have the establishment approved with the ÚKZÚZ under the Feeds Act - do this before starting the actual production.
A detailed procedure can be found in the guide How to set up a trade.
Documents and fees
- Completed URF (notification of the trade).
- Identity document (identity card or passport).
- Consent to the placement of the registered office/premises, if you do not own the property.
- Administrative fee of CZK 1,000 for the first notification of a trade; for an electronic submission only CZK 800 (under Act No. 634/2004 Coll., on administrative fees).
- Extension by a further field of the free trade, if you already hold a trade licence, is free of charge (CZK 0).
- Registration/approval of the establishment with the ÚKZÚZ under Act No. 91/1996 Coll. (a separate process, governed by the ÚKZÚZ schedule of fees).
Frequently asked questions
Do I need education or experience in the field of feeds?
No. This is a free trade and expertise is not documented. The general conditions under Section 6 (legal capacity and a clean criminal record) suffice.
Is the trade licence enough for me to start manufacturing feed?
No. In addition to the trade licence you must have the establishment registered or approved with the ÚKZÚZ under Act No. 91/1996 Coll. and Regulation (EC) No. 183/2005. Without this you may not manufacture feed or place it on the market.
How much will I pay if I already hold another free trade?
Nothing. An extension of an existing licence by a further field of the free trade is free of charge (CZK 0).
When can I start doing business?
The licence to carry on the trade arises under Section 10 already on the day of notification. Start the actual production of feed, however, only after the establishment has been registered or approved with the ÚKZÚZ.
Can I notify several fields at once?
Yes. The free trade has 80 fields and several of them can be notified in a single submission for one administrative fee.