FEED BAN DELAY, BODY DISPOSAL CONCERNS

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed delaying the effective date of its ban on the use of high-risk cattle tissue in animal feed (PDF link: http://tinyurl.com/cffd5d) from April 27th to June 26th. The regulation, intended to reduce the risk of bovine spongiform encephalopathy ("mad cow disease"), requires the brains and spinal cords of cattle 30 months and older be removed before they are rendered, and prohibits use of the tissue in animal feed and other rendered products. (Ruminant-derived materials have been banned from cattle feed since 1997: http://tinyurl.com/cm888f ) The FDA proposed the delay in response to industry requests for more time to comply.

Only about half of each cow, pig and chicken slaughtered in the U.S. is used for human food, the rest is rendered into animal food and other products. Some 54 billion pounds of animal parts are rendered each year, including farmed and companion animals and wildlife. Several billion are from farmed animals who die prior to slaughter. There are concerns that renderers will no longer accept dead cattle. The alternatives: burying, burning or composting the bodies, can be difficult. Improper disposal can pollute soil and groundwater, and the infectious BSE agent can survive burial or composting.

Some within industry believe the regulation is "a gross overreaction" to BSE and was approved merely to broker a trade deal with Korea (see: http://tinyurl.com/dbcpgs ). "The image of one sick cow on national television has led us down this path of frivolous regulation with only one result: more wasteful tactics by our nation's bureaucrats, who would rather see rotting carcasses in landfills instead of beautifying the women of our country with cosmetics," opined industry advocate Trent Loos. The FDA is accepting public comments for seven days solely on whether or not to delay the effective date: http://tinyurl.com/dbycco See also: ONTARIO: CARCASSES LEFT TO ROT AFTER CUT TO SUBSIDY ("This is just a ticking time bomb, and if our neighbours to the south get wind of this, our international reputation as a safe meat producer is at stake."): http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=1405092

NEW REGULATIONS MAKE DISPOSAL DIFFICULT FOR CATTLE RANCHERS
The Associated Press, Chris Blank, March 17, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/cduuyj

THE OTHER RECYCLING BUSINESS
Los Angeles magazine, Dave Gardetta, April 2009
http://tinyurl.com/c2et4c

FDA'S MAD COW PRECAUTIONS CAUSE CARCASS REMOVAL HEADACHES
Business Lexington, Kara Keeton, March 19, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/caqfdt

LOOK WHO'S BLUSHING NOW
Feedstuffs, Trent Loos (commentary), March 30, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/conzzv