Feed Safety and BSE
BSE, better known as "mad cow disease" is a chronic, degenerative disease affecting the central nervous system of cattle. BSE has had a substantial impact on livestock economies in a number of countries, particularly in Great Britain where it was first diagnosed in 1986. There have been three cases of BSE in North America. The first was a single beef cow imported from Great Britain into Canada in 1987 and diagnosed with BSE in 1993. The second was another beef cow in Alberta, Canada dealt with by destroying the affected animal and all its herdmates as well as other cattle determined to be a risk by animal health officials in Canada. The third, announced in December 2003, is a Holstein dairy cow originally from Canada, imported into the state of Washington. Details regarding this incidence continued to unfold at the time this was written. The specific cause of BSE is still controversial. Data suggest that the BSE event in Great Britain in the mid-1980s was an extended common-source epidemic involving animal feed containing contaminated meat and bone meal as a source of protein.*
Cargill takes seriously the threat of BSE and has taken a number of steps to assure that the feeds we produce cannot in any way contribute to an outbreak of the disease. Among the actions we have taken are:
• The elimination of the use of prohibited ruminant protein products in all US and Canadian feed mills producing ruminant feeds.
• The training of our employees on the issue of BSE and its possible effects on food safety.
• Compliance with all FDA requirements related to the use of animal protein products.
• Undergoing periodic plant inspections by FDA personnel to assure regulatory compliance.
• Conducting self-audits at all plants to insure that requirements mandated not only by governmental agencies but also by Cargill’s quality assurance procedures are being met.
• The continual refinement of existing internal policies and procedures related to the purchasing, receipt and use of all feed ingredients, with the objective of assuring that feeds we produce meet all feed safety requirements.
In addition, Cargill Animal Nutrition was the first feed manufacturer to receive certification of all our North American feed mills under the recently announced Facility Certification Institute program. This program requires rigid quality control processes to prevent the occurrence of BSE in North American feed mills. FCI personnel will inspect our plants on a regular basis to verify compliance with FCI requirements.
Cargill is committed to conducting business in such a way that we meet our customers’ high standards for quality and safety. We are confident that the steps we are taking will allow us to achieve this goal and to eliminate the risk of BSE from feed products produced by Cargill Animal Nutrition.
For additional information, please visit the following independent Web sites:
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
National Cattlemen's Beef Association
* Source: USDA