In October 2006, the FDA issued a warning letter to an animal feed protein supplement manufacturing facility in Alabama for producing adulterated feed by failing to implement measures to prevent commingling or cross-contamination of prohibited proteins, as well as for subsequently misbranding animal feeds for more than 15-months.
In 2006, the FDA issued a Louisiana rendering plant a warning letter for violating U.S. BSE-related feed manufacturing controls, again by failing to prevent commingling or cross-contamination with prohibited protein and for misbranding feed.
In 2005, FDA inspectors found that a Minnesota rendering plant was in violation of requirements to prohibit certain proteins in ruminant feed and revealed the rendering plant failed to use proper clean-out procedures to prevent cross-contamination and failed to properly label feed to prevent its consumption by ruminant animals.
"These were just the incidents that were caught and likely represent only a fraction of the cattle that were processed without complying fully with required BSE mitigation measures. Thus, there likely are hundreds of thousands of U.S. consumers who have purchased beef that likely was not subject to U.S. mitigation measures," the letter states.
"This ongoing, potential human exposure to BSE is unnecessary and can and should immediately be avoided by prohibiting the introduction of cattle and beef from Canada where the BSE agent is known to have recycled in that country's feed system through at least all or part of 2004, and where it likely continued to recycle at least until Canada implemented its upgraded feed ban in mid-2007," the group wrote.
"We are hopeful that Secretary Vilsack will respond favorably to the tens of millions of Americans represented by the groups joined in the letter by immediately restoring our border restrictions to prevent the introduction of BSE from Canada," Bullard concluded.
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R-CALF USA (Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America) is a national, non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring the continued profitability and viability of the U.S. cattle industry. R-CALFUSA represents thousands of U.S. cattle producers on trade and marketing issues. Members are located across 47 states and are primarily cow/calf operators, cattle backgrounders, and/or feedlot owners. R-CALFUSA directors and committee chairs are extremely active unpaid volunteers. R-CALFUSA has dozens of affiliate organizations and various main-street businesses are associate members. For more information, visit www.r-calfusa.com or, call 406-252-2516.
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