Impact of New Feed Regulations to prevent BSE

Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), also called "Mad Cow Disease," is transmitted not from cow to cow, but through feeding of animal protein-based byproducts that contain BSE prion-contaminated brain or spinal cord tissue. Meat and bone meal was implicated in BSE transmission during the outbreak which occurred in the United Kingdom through the 1980's and 1990's. As a result, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) initiated a ban in 1997 on feeding ruminant protein products back to ruminant animals. This precluded use of meat and bone meal or meat meal derived from any ruminant animal being used as a protein feed supplement for cattle. Blood meal protein supplements were not included in this ban. As part of the 1997 feeding ban, all producers are required to keep records of their protein feed purchases for a 2 year period. This record keeping was to allow for trace backs to site of origin to determine if banned protein products were being inappropriately used and remains in effect today.

On January 26, 2004, new feeding regulations have been imposed in an effort to further reduce any possibility of BSE transmission into the human or cattle food chain. The following four new rules will be implemented immediately:

1. Mammalian blood proteins will not be exempt from the animal feed ban. No longer will any mammalian blood protein source be allowed in cattle or calf feeds. This will include newly marketed blood protein-based milk replacer and colostrum supplement products.
2. Feeding poultry litter to cattle has been banned. There was concern that mammalian derived protein products, which can be legally fed to poultry, could potentially contaminate poultry litter and then be consumed by cattle.
3. Feeding of restaurant "plate waste" is now banned. This material consists of uneaten meat and meat scraps collected from large restaurant operations and ultimately recycled into meat and bone meal for animal feed. Plate waste does not pose a BSE threat because the BSE prion is not found in muscle, but the presence of bovine meat scraps in cattle feed would confound regulatory monitoring of prohibited proteins in cattle feed.
4. New regulations will require animal feed mixing equipment be designated as solely ruminant or nonruminant. The intent here is to minimize potential cross-contamination of banned protein products available for non-ruminant animals, but not allowed in ruminant animal feeds.

What do these new regulations mean to producers? First and foremost, they are additional safeguards to protect the human food chain from the remote possibility of a more widespread BSE outbreak in the United States. However, they do come with a price to producers and others. These new feed bans further restrict available high quality protein products for use in cattle diets. Animal protein products provide a high quality source of bypass protein. Fish meal, poultry-based meat meals and feather meal can still be used as protein sources. Price and availability of plant-based protein sources will be of concern, especially soybean meal. Other plant protein sources such as canola meal may be in greater demand. These new regulations also will impact the rendering industry and producers as they restrict downer cow disposal options. This all will add costs to producing cattle-based food products and the price of such products.

Robert J. Van Saun, DVM, MS, PhD, Extension Veterinarian
Department of Veterinary Science