Here are the two different policies on feeding poultry litter to cattle from two different countries. One of them is selling beef to Japan.
Here is Australia:
Here is the question, Beefman, which one of them ships beef to Japan?
SH, do you think you could do your similar spin job on this as you did on bse testing for Japan?
Feb. 23, 2004
BSE SPURS BAN ON FEEDING BROILER LITTER TO CATTLE
Writer: Robert Burns (903) 834-6191,[email protected]
Sources: Dr. Jason Cleere (903) 834-6191,[email protected]
Dr. Gerald Evers (903) 834-6191,[email protected]
OVERTON – Recent expanded safeguards against "mad cow disease" announced Jan. 26 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration may require some East Texas beef producers to rethink their winter feeding budgets, says a beef cattle specialist with Texas Cooperative Extension.
One of the safeguards – the ban on feeding broiler litter to cattle – will also raise winter production costs for many East Texas cattle producers, said Dr. Jason Cleere.
Broiler litter is typically 20 percent protein, and cattle, once they become used to it, relish it. Cattle have been known to break down fences to get to a source of chicken litter.
It's also cheap, from $15 to $25 per ton, compared to an alternative protein source such as range cubes that costs $225 per ton or more.
"For beef producers, this equates to a change from about 5 cents to about 50 or 60 cents a day per head as protein supplement during the three- to four-month winter feeding period," Cleere said.
The exact cause of bovine spongiform encephalopathy – now commonly known as mad cow disease – is not known. However, many in the scientific community generally accept a type of protein called prions causes BSE in mammals.
The concern is that poultry feed often contains meat and bone meal, the same byproducts banned from cattle feed for fear they may transmit prions. Meat and bone meal are used in poultry feed as a cheap phosphorus supplement.
"Although the prions would not be harmful to poultry, the worry is the prions might pass through the chicken and contaminate the litter. Also, there's quite a bit of spilled poultry feed that winds up mixed with the litter, too," said Dr. Gerald Evers, a forage management researcher with the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. Evers has worked with broiler litter as a fertilizer source for bermudagrass pastures for years, and along the way has become familiar with the broiler litter industry.
"We really don't know how much is fed, but we suspect that wherever there are poultry producers, there is quite a bit being used as a winter protein and mineral supplement," Evers said.
Technically, the announced ban is only proposed until it is published in the Federal Register, the legal medium for communicating the regulations by the executive branch of the federal government. When it is published – typically anywhere from two weeks to a couple of months following the announcement, – it will become an "interim final rule."
"Interim final rule" means the ban will be in effect as soon as it's published in the Register. There will be a public comment period, whose time and duration will be included in the publication. During this comment period, comments will be accepted and changes can be suggested. For example, there may be or may not be a grace period for producers currently feeding broiler litter to make the changeover.
From all estimates, the ban, with a few minor edits, will survive the comment period.
"The odds are the ban will be permanent," Evers said.
"The feeling is that the ban won't be published in time to have an effect on this winter's supplemental feeding costs, but will most certainly be in effect by next winter," Cleere said.
The message for the beef producer is to think twice about making capital investments in equipment to handle or store poultry litter, Cleere said.
"At least put it on hold for now," Cleere said.
Producers who are currently feeding broiler litter are advised to start thinking about some other winter protein supplement.
Winter pasture is a good alternative. Though not as cheap as broiler litter, it is a very cost-effective alternative. Also, there are other products available for use as supplemental feeds, such as corn gluten or wheat mids, Cleere said.
The FDA also proposed a ban on using "plate waste," uneaten meat and other meat scraps collected from restaurant operations and rendered into meat and bone meal for animal feed.
Another safeguard proposed by the FDA is requiring equipment, facilities and production lines to be dedicated to non-ruminant animal feeds if they use ruminant byproducts banned for use in ruminant feed.
The FDA's ban on feeding most mammalian proteins to ruminant animals, including cattle, has been in effect in the United States since 1997.
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Chicken litter and chicken faeces– It's illegal to let livestock eat it
Prepared by Geoff Cowles, Biosecurity Business Group, DPI&F
The feeding to livestock of chicken litter and any other material containing chicken faeces is not permitted in Queensland. In addition it is illegal for livestock to be given access to chicken litter and other material containing chicken faeces. Livestock farmers are required to take every reasonable measure to deny livestock such access.
What livestock are affected by this feeding ban?
The ban on feeding chicken faeces including chicken litter to livestock includes not only farm livestock such as cattle, sheep and goats but also deer, alpacas and llamas. It also extends to other livestock such as pigs and horses. Companion animals roaming on the farm such as dogs and cats are exempt from this feeding ban.
What are chicken faeces?
Chicken faeces are the chickens' droppings, being the waste discharge from their gastro-intestinal tracts. For the purpose of this livestock-feeding ban the term also includes any material that contains or has been in contact with chicken faeces.
Chicken faeces therefore includes chicken litter used in broiler houses and also the faeces and surrounding material (e.g. dirt and spilt feed) collected from under the cages of layer birds or from any other farm system where chicken faeces or litter is produced or collected.
What is chicken litter?
When chickens are raised on the ground in broiler houses, a layer of material (often fine wood shavings) is used to cover the ground to provide a suitable surface for the birds. This litter absorbs much of the faeces (manure) produced by the birds. It may also contain spilt chicken feed. The litter is renewed regularly and the old material is often used as fertiliser.
Why deny livestock access to chicken litter and chicken faeces?
To support Australia's bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) freedom assurance program.
Australia is free of BSE, also known as 'mad cow disease'. However, should it enter the country, an important second line of defence is the prevention of animal matter being fed to ruminants. Denying access to chicken litter and other material containing chicken faeces by cattle, sheep and other ruminants strengthens the Australia-wide ruminant feed ban designed to keep Australia free of BSE. This measure has been in place since 1997 following agreement by all State and Territory Governments.
The ruminant feed ban is designed to prevent the potential spread of the BSE disease agent through meat and bone meal and other animal meals. Ingestion of animal meals contaminated with the BSE disease agent is recognised as the major cause of BSE spread in outbreaks overseas. Chicken litter and chicken faeces become contaminated with animal meal when the chickens' diet includes animal meal or rations containing animal meal. This contamination occurs through feed spillage and indirectly via chicken faeces. Banning the feeding of chicken litter and other material containing chicken faeces to ruminants helps ensure that ruminants will not be exposed to animal meal.
To keep your animals healthy.
Denying access to chicken litter and other material containing chicken faeces by all livestock, whether ruminant animals or pigs and horses, also provides a means to protect the health of these animals. Chicken litter and faeces are a potential cause of significant livestock illnesses for example, botulism and salmonellosis.
Can chicken litter or chicken faeces be spread over pasture as a fertiliser?
Yes it can; however every reasonable measure should be taken to ensure that livestock that graze on the pasture are denied access to the chicken litter or faeces. Please read on.
What reasonable measures should be taken to deny livestock access to chicken litter or chicken faeces used as fertiliser?
You must ensure when chicken litter or chicken faeces is spread over the pasture that livestock such as cattle, sheep, pigs and horses do not graze or roam the pasture during the actual spreading and are not allowed to return to the pasture immediately afterwards. It is recommended that livestock be withheld from the pasture for 3 weeks from the date of the last application onto the pasture of chicken litter or chicken faeces.
The recommendation is made as a precautionary measure to:
* minimise survival of disease agents (pathogens) on the pasture;
* allow pasture regrowth in response to fertilisation, thus reducing the potential for direct ingestion of contaminated litter by grazing animals; and
* reduce palatability problems of the pasture/crop that could result from components of the chicken litter or chicken faeces.
If circumstances exist where it is not possible to follow this recommendation, it is important that producers ensure as an additional 'reasonable measure' that the chicken litter or chicken faeces has been adequately incorporated (ploughed) into the soil rather than just spread onto the surface, before re-introducing their livestock to the pasture.
As an added precaution, cattle that regularly graze pastures where chicken litter or chicken faeces has been used should be fully vaccinated for botulism.
Can chicken litter or chicken faeces be legally stored 'on farm'?
Yes it can. However, if there are livestock animals on the farm or nearby (e.g. on a neighbouring farm) there is an obligation on the part of the farmer to take all reasonable measures to deny the livestock that are present on or near the farm any access to the stored material.
Examples of reasonable measures that could be taken, include -
* stockpiling the material in an enclosed well-fenced portion of the property. A barbed wire or electrified fence could be options that might be considered to deny access to livestock; and
* enclosing the material in a shed on the property and securing it in such a manner that livestock are unable to enter the shed.
These examples are not exhaustive and there could be other ways to prevent livestock access to stored material.
Can chicken litter or chicken faeces be taken off the farm?
Yes it can, and there are professional contractors who can arrange to take the material off your farm for you. These contractors supply chicken litter for example, to a range of end-users, such as organic fertiliser manufacturers, turf farms and other farmers for fertiliser.
If you decide to remove chicken litter or chicken faeces off the farm yourself and supply it to someone else, you need to be aware that you cannot under Queensland legislation supply it to another person for the purpose of feeding it to their livestock.
What does the Queensland legislation say about restricting the feeding of chicken faeces including chicken litter to livestock?
The Stock Regulation 1988 (Stock Regulation) controls livestock feeding restrictions in Queensland. Under the Stock Regulation chicken faeces including chicken litter is animal matter that cannot be fed to livestock and livestock must not have access to it.
The Stock Regulation defines 'animal matter' as "an animal carcass; or matter derived from an animal, including, for example, meal and animal blood, faeces and tissue."
The Stock Regulation defines 'faeces' as "the waste discharge from the gastro-intestinal tract (whether animal or human) and includes any refuse or residue which contains or has been in contact with faeces".
The Stock Regulation in effect states that with respect to chicken faeces including chicken litter a person must not:
* feed chicken faeces including chicken litter to livestock; or
* possess chicken faeces including chicken litter for the purpose of feeding it to livestock; or
* allow, or fail to take every reasonable measure to prevent livestock access to chicken faeces including chicken litter; or
* supply chicken faeces including chicken litter to someone else for the purpose of feeding it to livestock.
Copies of the Stock Regulation and its principal Act, the Stock Act 1915 (Stock Act) are available through Go Print by telephoning 1800 679 778 (outside of Brisbane for the cost of a local call) or 07- 3246 3399, within Brisbane. Copies are also available at the website address of the Office of the Queensland Parliamentary Counsel (OPC) at www.legislation.qld.gov.au
The information provided above is NOT a replacement for the legislation. It acts as a useful guide to help explain the legislative provisions about the restrictions for feeding chicken faeces including chicken litter in Queensland. It cannot be relied upon for precise legal interpretation. Readers seeking precise legal interpretation need to refer to the actual wording of the legislation by consulting the appropriate sections of both the Stock Regulation and the Stock Act, available through Go Print or the OPC website (refer to the previous paragraph for details).
Further reading
DPI&F has produced a DPI&F Note entitled "Chicken Litter as a fertiliser on dairy pastures –Managing health risks to dairy cattle' which explains in greater detail the value of using chicken litter as a fertiliser and the precautions that should be taken if using chicken litter for this purpose.
Copies of this additional DPI&F Note can be obtained by either contacting the DPI&F Call Centre on 13 25 23 (Queensland residents) or 07 3404 6999 (non-Queensland residents) between 8am and 6pm weekdays; or looking on the DPI&F website at www.dpi.qld.gov.au/dairy/12503.html.
Need further information?
If you have any queries about the legislative aspects of managing chicken litter or chicken faeces 'on farm' please telephone the DPI&F Call Centre on 13 25 23 (Queensland residents) or 07 3404 6999 (non-Queensland residents) between 8am and 6pm weekdays; email [email protected]. If necessary, you will be referred to a technical officer from the Biosecurity Business Group of DPI&F who should be able to address your specific concerns.
Last updated 13 April 2005
Here is the question, Beefman, which one of them ships beef to Japan?
SH, do you think you could do your similar spin job on this as you did on bse testing for Japan?
