Turning it into biodiesel is about the only truly safe way of handling it.
January 11, 2001
Many Makers of Feed Fail to Heed Rules
on Mad Cow Disease
By SANDRA BLAKESLEE
Large numbers of companies involved in
manufacturing animal feed are not
complying with regulations meant to prevent
the emergence and spread of mad cow
disease in the United States, the Food and
Drug Administration said yesterday.
The widespread failure of companies to follow the
regulations, adopted in
August 1997, does not mean that the American food supply is unsafe,
Dr. Stephen Sundlof, director of the Center for Veterinary
Medicine at
the F.D.A., said in an interview.
But much more needs to be done to ensure that mad cow disease does
not arise in this country, Dr. Sundlof said.
The regulations state that feed manufacturers and companies
that render
slaughtered animals into useful products generally may not
feed mammals
to cud-chewing animals, or ruminants, which can carry mad
cow disease.
All products that contain rendered cattle or sheep must
have a label that
says, "Do not feed to ruminants," Dr. Sundlof said.
Manufacturers must
also have a system to prevent ruminant products from being commingled
with other rendered material like that from chicken, fish
or pork. Finally,
all companies must keep records of where their products
originated and
where they were sold.
Under the regulations, F.D.A. district offices and state
veterinary offices
were required to inspect all rendering plants and feed
mills to make sure
companies complied.
But results issued yesterday demonstrate that more than
three years later,
different segments of the feed industry show varying levels
of compliance.
Among 180 large companies that render cattle and another ruminant,
sheep, nearly a quarter were not properly labeling their
products and did
not have a system to prevent commingling, the F.D.A. said. And among
347 F.D.A.-licensed feed mills that handle ruminant materials ¯ these
tend to be large operators that mix drugs into their products ¯ 20
percent were not using labels with the required caution
statement, and 25
percent did not have a system to prevent commingling.
Then there are some 6,000 to 8,000 feed mills so small they do not
require F.D.A. licenses. They are nonetheless subject to
the regulations,
and of 1,593 small feed producers that handle ruminant
material and have
been inspected, 40 percent were not using approved labels and 25
percent had no system in place to prevent commingling.
On the other hand, fewer than 10 percent of companies, big and small,
were failing to comply with the record-keeping regulations.
The American Feed Industry Association in Arlington, Va.,
did not return
phone calls seeking comment
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/11/science/11COW.html
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