More than a dozen Canadian feed companies have had truckloads of feed, including canola meal, stopped at the border after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found possible prohibited meat material in the shipments.
“The firms listed on the attachment have attempted to import feed products containing animal material of indeterminate origin,” said the FDA import alert issued at the beginning of January.
Feed plants in Canada owned by Bunge Foods, Louis Dreyfus, Agricore United, Saskatchewan Wheat Pool and Cascadia Terminal have all had loads of feed rejected at the border because they “appear to bear or contain protein derived from mammalian tissue,” said the FDA alert.
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What’s frustrating is that the FDA doesn’t say what kind of contaminant or how much has been found, said Radean Carter with Agricore United.
“Once the FDA finds there is a presumption of a contaminant, feed doesn’t go across the border. There’s no recourse. There’s no way to appeal the decision. That’s just the way it is,” said Carter.
He said the company has no idea what kinds of animal tissue the FDA could have found in the load of steam-rolled barley sent from its Unifeed plants in Armstrong, B.C., and Lethbridge, or canola screenings from Agricore United’s Carseland, Alta., plant.
“It gives some question of the level of credibility of testing of the FDA,” said Carter, who added the company had to go through a long and expensive series of tests to be allowed to ship feed into the United States.
“Our testing shows there were no contaminants.”
Before companies are removed from the FDA’s import alert list, they must hire an independent consultant to test and show the next 12 consecutive loads of feed are free of contaminants.
Colleen Vancha, vice-president of investor relations with Sask Pool, said the company has not had any communication from FDA about the load of canola screenings originating from its terminal elevator in Vancouver that was stopped and rejected at the border in December.
“We’re looking into the validity of this,” said Vancha, who added the pool is confident subsequent tests will find no contaminant.
Officials with the FDA, Louise Dreyfus and Bunge Foods, the world’s largest oilseed processor, were not available for comment because of the American public holiday Jan. 19.
Christine Mercier of the Animal Nutrition Association of Canada said the tough new feed import rules were implemented after the discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in a Canadian cow in May.
The cow is believed to have contracted the disease from eating contaminated feed.
The microscopy test done at the border is fairly simplistic, said Mercier. It can differentiate between fish or birds, but little beyond that. If some mammalian tissue is found, it can’t determine if the product is approved for use, said Mercier, whose organization lobbied the FDA last summer for a list of how Canadian plants could clear themselves and resume trade.
“This is what’s somewhat frustrating. Maybe there are no violations to the feed ban. Obviously people are wanting to comply with the FDA regulations,” she said.
“What’s frustrating in this whole thing is maybe these grain elevators have never handled animal protein. It’s frustrating for them to find out where this contamination could have occurred.”
In 2000 and 2001, Canada exported about $185 million worth of mixed feed grain to the U.S.
Barb Isman, president of the Canola Council of Canada, said it is confident the canola meal exported to the U.S. is safe and free of animal parts.
“There is no reason there would be a cow in a canola plant,” said Isman. She believes Canadians can expect more surveillance of feed with the heightened sensitivity to BSE.
