USDA Creates Feed Pea Grades

WASHINGTON - Jul 10/06 - SNS -- The USDA's Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration has established official grading standards for feed peas.

The USDA said, "The current U. S. Standards for Whole Dry Peas and Split Peas reflect the needs of the edible dry pea market. They do not, however, meet the needs of the growing market for peas used in animal feed."

GIPSA administrator James Link said, "GIPSA is establishing this new standard to provide uniform standards and facilitate the marketing of feed peas."

Under the USDA U.S. No 1 Feed Peas can contain a maximum of 1% inert material and 1% heat damaged peas. U.S. sample grade Feed Peas are peas which contain U.S. Sample grade are feed peas which: do not meet the requirements for the grade U.S. No. 1; or contain more than 15.0 percent moisture; or contain 0.02 percent or more animal excreta; or contain metal fragments; or broken glass; or have a musty, sour, or commercially objectionable odor; or are heating or of distinctly low quality.

In its definition of Feed Peas, the USDA grade standard says there "distinctly low quality. Dry peas of obvious inferior quality due to an unknown foreign substance staining the seedcoat; or the presence of a known toxic substance(s) or an unknown foreign substance(s); or an unusual state or condition not related by the other quality factors provided in the standards."

The peas are "intended for animal feed."