BANFF, Alta. – The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is confident the ban on feeding ruminant protein to ruminants works following investigations of mills possibly associated with two cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
Lead CFIA feed investigator Tom Spiller said in two separate audits, all mills were in compliance with feed production and distribution regulations implemented in 1997.
Since a ban on feeding ruminant protein to ruminants became law in August 1997, all 450 Canadian feed mills are subjected to CFIA audits.
“Since 2001, virtually every mill has been audited every year,” Spiller said.
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The biggest challenge with early audits was convincing feed companies to provide written documentation of activities, including location of feed sources, use of supplements, recipes and sanitation.
“They were doing everything correctly, but they didn’t have it all captured on paper,” he said.
The CFIA checks all procedures and records. If there is a violation, a 30-day followup ensures the feed mill has corrected the problem.
Starting this year, the CFIA demands a laboratory validation test of clean-out procedures to guard against cross-contamination in mills’ flushing systems.
“We’re moving to a level now where we’re asking for a microscopic examination,” he said.
The feed mill is responsible for the costs.
In 2000, the CFIA decided to ramp up inspections all the way to the farm level.
“We have very good records for a number of years now but we don’t have a whole lot of data of what is happening on the farms,” he said.
The CFIA visited 200 farms in northern Alberta this summer, focusing on farmers who use concentrated drug products in feed mixes.
Additional government funding has been promised for wider investigations.
A three-year phased-in process for new regulations and inspections is planned. Most of the focus is on medication use in feed.
During the first year, more commercial feed mill checks are planned. In year two, farms using drug premixes are targeted and the final year covers farms using medicated premixes, supplements or medicated feed requiring additional mixing.
The proposal for added surveillance appeared in the Canada Gazette in 2000. Revisions will be published this summer before it becomes law.
Changes are also expected on chemical contamination found in bulk grain shipped to mills. More substances will be added to a list of banned chemicals, which now includes 12 chemicals, including seed treatments like lindane.
Increased attention has been directed at rendered meat and bone meal. Now, renderers must separate material from different species. If they do not, the meal must carry a label with a warning that it cannot be fed to ruminants.
All animals, including ruminants, can receive proteins derived from pigs and horses. Also permitted are blood and milk proteins, gelatin and rendered animal fats from all species as well as feather meal and fish meal.
In addition to CFIA regulations, feed mills are encouraged to become certified under hazard analysis critical control point programs, said Tracey McGrath of the Animal Nutrition Association of Canada.
CFIA doesn’t officially recognize such programs and plants don’t receive special consideration from the government if they are on a quality assurance program.
“We estimate that more than 60 percent of feed in Canada is coming out of HACCP mills,” McGrath said at the annual Banff pork seminar.
The plans are based on human food safety guidelines.
Each plant must write its own HACCP plan covering procedures for hygiene, feed recipes and medication inventory. All activities must be recorded and staff must be trained.
Recall plans are expected and plants are advised to stage mock recalls in the event of an emergency.
A Swiss company specializing in food safety inspections handles the audits.
The nutrition association estimates the total feed equivalent for all livestock and poultry in Canada is 25-27 million tonnes.
Estimated total commercial production of complete feeds, supplements and premixes in Canada is 15 million tonnes with total sales of $3.5 billion. The rest is imported from the United States, Europe and Asia.
Vitamins, trace minerals, amino acids, animal pharmaceuticals and other micro feed additives are imported.
About half of Canada’s complete feed supplies are manufactured on the farm.
