DA lifts import ban on US meat, bone meal imports
11/18/2009 | 12:38 PM
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has lifted the temporary ban on meat and bone meal imports from the United States after global health authorities place the country under “controlled-risk status" of the mad cow disease.
Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said the World Animal Health Organization or the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) has classified the US as "Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) controlled risk."
The classification means there has been no case of BSE (mad cow disease); if there are, each case is either from imported beef or the contaminated meat has been completely destroyed.
He further noted that the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has restrictions in its Feed Rule (USFDA-HHS 2008) to decrease the risk of BSE.
The US rendering industry is regulated closely by state and federal agencies, which routinely inspects rendering facilities for compliance with applicable regulations and finished product safety tolerances, Yap said in his directive.
Yap said the DA has also confirmed that "meat and bone meal (MBM) and other animal protein products are regulated and verified by the USFDA for compliance with BSE-related regulations and chemical residue tolerances."
Moreover, the US rendering industry uses internal controls to maintain biosecurity and ensures that its finished products are safe and in compliance with all state and federal regulations and tolerances.
The US currently exports MBM to Indonesia, Canada, Europe, South Africa, Malaysia, China, Mexico, Ecuador, Bangladesh, Thailand and Vietnam. - Nadezhda Tanola, GMANews.TV
Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said the World Animal Health Organization or the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) has classified the US as "Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) controlled risk."
The classification means there has been no case of BSE (mad cow disease); if there are, each case is either from imported beef or the contaminated meat has been completely destroyed.
He further noted that the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has restrictions in its Feed Rule (USFDA-HHS 2008) to decrease the risk of BSE.
The US rendering industry is regulated closely by state and federal agencies, which routinely inspects rendering facilities for compliance with applicable regulations and finished product safety tolerances, Yap said in his directive.
Yap said the DA has also confirmed that "meat and bone meal (MBM) and other animal protein products are regulated and verified by the USFDA for compliance with BSE-related regulations and chemical residue tolerances."
Moreover, the US rendering industry uses internal controls to maintain biosecurity and ensures that its finished products are safe and in compliance with all state and federal regulations and tolerances.
The US currently exports MBM to Indonesia, Canada, Europe, South Africa, Malaysia, China, Mexico, Ecuador, Bangladesh, Thailand and Vietnam. - Nadezhda Tanola, GMANews.TV
