Frequently Asked Questions

 What Are Naturally Occurring Prohibited Substances?

Naturally Occurring Prohibited Substances (NOPS) are substances which can occur naturally within a raw material such as Hordenine from sprouting barley, morphine from poppies and theobromine from cocoa products. Unfortunately if consumed by a horse competing in affiliated competitions or racing they can lead to disqualification. Due to changing farming practices the risk although still very low has increased and this has resulted in action from the BETA Feed Committee.

 BETA feed committee chairman, Chris Gordon, Technical Director at D&H has been working with other BETA feed members and the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) to develop the BETA UFAS NOPS Manufacturers Code which is based on the Universal Feed Assurance Scheme (UFAS) and has  been endorsed by the British horse Racing Authority (BHA). This food safety scheme has been extended to incorporate procedures to avoid NOPS occurring in horse feed and all companies adhering to the code will be independently audited.

Horse owners and trainers can be assured that if they choose a feed that has been manufactured by a BETA UFAS NOPS accredited manufacturer such as D&H the risk of being disqualified due to a prohibited substance occurring in their horse feed will be reduced to a minimum. Look out for the BETA UFAS NOPS code on literature and packaging.