U.S. FDA to tighten mad-cow safeguard "feed" rule
Tue Oct 4, 2005 1:08 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government will tighten its so-called feed rule -- a primary defense against mad cow disease -- by banning cattle brains and spinal cords in animal feed, but stop short of measures such as excluding restaurant scraps, industry sources said on Tuesday.
The Food and Drug Administration scheduled a news conference on Tuesday at 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT) to announce "proposed new safeguards" against mad cow but provided no details in advance.
Imposed in 1997, the feed rule bars the use of cattle parts in making cattle feed. After the first U.S. case of mad cow disease was found in December 2003, FDA began work on rules to strengthen its safeguards of human health.
Cattle industry sources said FDA was expected to ban from all animal feed the brains and spinal cords of cattle over 30 months of age, from "downer" cattle too ill to walk on their own and from carcasses of dead cattle.
"I think we're going to come close to Canada at the end of the day," said one cattle industry official. In his final days in office, former FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford said the new U.S. rules would parallel Canada.
Canadian officials say they hope by the end of the year to have in effect rules that ban cattle brains, spines and other "high-risk" materials from all animal feed.
Consumer groups and some lawmakers had called on the FDA to ban the use of cattle blood as a feed supplement, as well as chicken litter and restaurant scraps -- both of which could contain beef.
Scientists believe brain-destroying mad cow disease is caused by malformed proteins called prions. Cattle contract the disease, they say, through consumption of feed contaminated with the processed remains of cattle that had the disease.
Mad cow is a disease of older cattle, which is why some safeguards are aimed at animals over the age of 30 months.
People can develop a human version of mad cow disease by consuming infected meats.
Tue Oct 4, 2005 1:08 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government will tighten its so-called feed rule -- a primary defense against mad cow disease -- by banning cattle brains and spinal cords in animal feed, but stop short of measures such as excluding restaurant scraps, industry sources said on Tuesday.
The Food and Drug Administration scheduled a news conference on Tuesday at 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT) to announce "proposed new safeguards" against mad cow but provided no details in advance.
Imposed in 1997, the feed rule bars the use of cattle parts in making cattle feed. After the first U.S. case of mad cow disease was found in December 2003, FDA began work on rules to strengthen its safeguards of human health.
Cattle industry sources said FDA was expected to ban from all animal feed the brains and spinal cords of cattle over 30 months of age, from "downer" cattle too ill to walk on their own and from carcasses of dead cattle.
"I think we're going to come close to Canada at the end of the day," said one cattle industry official. In his final days in office, former FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford said the new U.S. rules would parallel Canada.
Canadian officials say they hope by the end of the year to have in effect rules that ban cattle brains, spines and other "high-risk" materials from all animal feed.
Consumer groups and some lawmakers had called on the FDA to ban the use of cattle blood as a feed supplement, as well as chicken litter and restaurant scraps -- both of which could contain beef.
Scientists believe brain-destroying mad cow disease is caused by malformed proteins called prions. Cattle contract the disease, they say, through consumption of feed contaminated with the processed remains of cattle that had the disease.
Mad cow is a disease of older cattle, which is why some safeguards are aimed at animals over the age of 30 months.
People can develop a human version of mad cow disease by consuming infected meats.
