By
Texas Cattle Feeders Association

Feb. 2, 2001

Recent media attention to Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE or mad cow disease) in Europe and the inadvertent mix-up of meat and bone meal in a ration supplement for cattle has raised questions about BSE and the U.S. cattle herd.

• 1985―Due to disease risks other than BSE, no processing plants in England were approved to export British beef to the United States.

• November, 1986-BSE is first confirmed in England.

• July, 1989-USDA/APHIS bans the importation of ruminant animals from countries with confirmed cases of BSE.

• November, 1989-USDA/APHIS enacts emergency ban on the importation of most ruminant products from countries with BSE. Formal regulations making the emergency ban permanent follow on Dec. 6, 1991.

• March, 1996-British government announces possible link between BSE and

10 cases of variant CJD. Government officials theorize the disease spread because of infected meat and bone meal.

• March, 1996-Livestock and animal health organizations in the U.S. announce a voluntary program to discontinue use of ruminant-derived protein in ruminant feed.

• June and August, 1997-FDA bans mammal-derived proteins in cattle feed.

• December, 1997-USDA bans imports of all live ruminants and most ruminant products from Europe, regardless of whether or not BSE was confirmed.

• January 16, 2001-A Purina Mills plant in Gonzales, Texas mistakenly mixes meat and bone meal in a supplement for cattle feed. The supplement is loaded on a truck for delivery the next day to a feedyard.

• January 17, 2001-Purina discovered the mix-up first thing in the morning and notified FDA and the feedyard. The feedyard stops feeding, Purina recalls the feed and FDA takes samples for analysis. The feedyard voluntarily holds 1,222 head of cattle. No quarantine was ever issued.

• January 30, 2001-FDA determined that each animal could have consumed, at most, 5 1/2 grams (about 1/4 oz.) of prohibited material. Purina Mills purchased all 1,222 animals and voluntarily removed them from the human food chain.

• The meat and bone meal situation in South Texas was a regulatory issue. It never was a food safety issue because BSE has never been detected in the United States. Because the meat and bone meal in question originated from domestic sources, it is highly unlikely the 1,222 animals in question were exposed to the disease.

• The FDA feed regulation ban is a critical firewall measure and was implemented as an extra precaution.

• The episode shows that the system works. The multi-layered safeguard system in place in the U.S. is essential to protect the food supply and keeping BSE from ever entering or occurring in this country is a top priority for the beef industry.

• The three components of this multi-layered system should remain the highest priority of industry and government. They are:

1. Strict enforcement of import restrictions designed to keep the BSE agent out of the United States.
2. Continued support for active BSE surveillance in the United States.
3. 100% compliance with the FDA Feed ban.

The FDA ban:

1. Prohibits feeding mammalian-derived proteins to ruminants. Products that are not covered under the ban include tallow, fats, oils, grease, amino acids, dicalcium phosphate as a byproduct of the gelatin manufacturing process, and paunch material.
2. Requires persons feeding ruminant animals to maintain copies of purchase invoices and labeling for all feeds and feed ingredients containing animal protein products to show proof that no mammalian protein has been fed. Record keeping is required for one year and applies only to feed and feed ingredients containing animal proteins-not feedgrains, fat, hay, silage, etc. The FDA rule also requires that persons feeding ruminant animals make records available to FDA for inspections.

• TCFA and NCBA support full compliance with FDA regulations and full enforcement by FDA if non-compliance is found. We believe FDA acted appropriately in this instance and commend Purina Mills for its responsible handling of the situation.