“We didn’t realise we were doing anything wrong.”
A company that erroneously said its products were ‘NOPS certified’ has been told to remove all reference to the feed assurance scheme.
Citadel Environmental Solutions took out a full-page advertisement in Horse&Hound (19 February) in which it claimed its Equi-Phage Gel and Equi-Phage Boost products were ‘NOPS certified’.
The NOPS assurance scheme was set up in 2009 by the British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA) to help reduce the risk of naturally occurring prohibited substances in equine feed and supplements.
Manufacturers must pass an independent audit before they can use the NOPS logo and name - and this is required to take place annually to maintain certification.
Last week, BETA asked Citadel Environmental Solutions to remove all references to NOPS. The company has since complied and deleted NOPS from its websites and promotional material.
“NOPS is a registered trademark of BETA and may only be used by those companies successfully audited to the certification scheme,” said Claire Williams from BETA.
“NOPS isn’t about having a product snapshot-tested for banned substances. Companies must pass a stringent on-going audit of their whole manufacturing process – from raw materials to packaging - to be accepted onto the NOPS scheme.
“So be fair to those companies that are legitimately NOPS accredited, and to protect the integrity of the scheme and what it means to consumers, we will continue to sanction any unauthorised references.”
Henry Madders from Citadel Environmental Solutions said his company had been “naïve” to reference NOPS in its advertising. “We didn’t realise we were doing anything wrong,” he added.
BETA has a ‘NOPS checker’ on its website which can be used to find out if a manufacturer is accredited under the scheme. Find out more here: BETA 'NOPS' CHECKER
