Tuesday, 26 September 2023
The British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA) welcomes the International Federation for Equestrian Sports' (FEI) decision not to list MSM – dimethyl sulphone – on the equine prohibited substances list (EPSL). Earlier this year, MSM was listed as a proposed Controlled Medication and Specified Substance for the 2024 Equine Prohibited Substances List (EPSL). Following lobbying and the preparation by BETA’s Feed Committee of an extensive submission justifying MSM’s continued unlisted status, this week the EPSL for 2024 was published without the proposed inclusion of MSM.
“The BETA Feed Committee provided extensive technical evidence to support our belief that defining MSM in this way could have had a significant and potentially negative impact on both equine welfare and the industry,” said BETA executive director Claire Williams. “We are delighted that our challenge proved compelling enough for the FEI to reconsider its decision and change the list.”
MSM is an organic sulphur compound that occurs naturally in plants such as maize, oats, apples and alfalfa. It is an internationally recognised feed material, commonly used in equine diets, where it is widely fed at rates of up to 25g a day to horses competing under FEI rules without regulatory incident.
In addition to direct transfer from plant-based diets, metabolic pathways show MSM can be formed via metabolism of methionine which, as an essential, i.e. indispensable amino acid is required in the diet of all equines. Given that MSM is both natural and ubiquitous to the equine diet, riders are not able to avoid its presence in their horses’ diet, and listing on the EPSL could have led to regulatory issues without pure MSM having been fed.
“We are immensely relieved that the proposed listing of MSM has been dropped and that the current status of ‘Unlisted’ is maintained. It allows riders competing under FEI rules continued access to this important ingredient that plays a supportive role in protecting the sport horse from exercise related oxidative damage.” added Claire Williams.