BSE-Prevention Feed Rule Welcomed

WASHINGTON - Oct 4/05 - SNS -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was commended by two major feed industry groups for proposing to further strengthen its existing feed regulations designed to prevent bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) and the Pet Food Institute (PFI) welcome the ban on feeding brain and spinal cord from cattle 30 months or older from all animal feed. They said it is the "single most effective and science-based way to further reduce the already extremely low risk of BSE in North America.

"From a science, risk-assessment, and animal and human health standpoint, it makes eminent sense to remove potential infectivity at the top of the animal feed pyramid, making ruminant-based animal protein inherently safe at its source," the NGFA and PFI said in a joint statement. "It also reduces or eliminates altogether the need for additional downstream regulatory controls that are burdensome and difficult and costly to enforce."

The NGFA and PFI also stressed that FDA's proposal presents an opportunity to continue to harmonize science-based BSE-prevention feed regulation within North America, and could contribute to resumption of beef trade based upon sound scientific principles of risk assessment.

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