Sludge Watch ==> Canada far exceeds USA FDA on Mad Cow feed and fertilizer controls

[maureen.reilly at sympatico.ca]

Sludgewatch Admin:

Our word for the day : Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy

pronounced (ĕn-sĕf'ə-lŏp'ə-thç)  or BSE for short.  
Mad Cow Disease.

Here is the news. Canada is implementing an extended feed and fertilizer ban
on any of the BSE risk materials (called specified risk material).  But what 
about
those BSE risk materials that are not sold for cash?  Any fertilizer in 
Canada that
is given way (or that farmers are paid to take) is not covered by the 
federal
legislation even if it has a fertilizer label provided by the Canadian Food 
Inspection
Agency.

It is the old product/waste dodge.  If the rendering plant puts its BSE risk 
materials
on a farm field as a sludge or soil ammendment freely provided to the 
farmer...then it
is not federally regulated.  It is regulated by the Province.

And in the Province of Nova Scotia the Province lets the Maple Leaf owned 
Rothsay rendering
plant smear rendering plant sludge on Inglewood Farms.  So...will the feds 
require this form
of soil fertilization with BSE risk material to stop?

Will the Province require it to stop?

Would somebody please make them stop?




    #######Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy #########

Subject: CANADA FAR EXCEEDS USA FDA ON MAD COW FEED CONTROLS
Date: June 26, 2006 at 12:47 pm PST
CANADA STRENGTHENS FEED CONTROLS

OTTAWA, June 26, 2006 (15:00 EST) - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency
is banning cattle tissues capable of transmitting bovine spongiform
encephalopathy (BSE) from all animal feeds, pet foods and fertilizers.
The enhancement will significantly accelerate Canada's progress toward
eradicating the disease from the national cattle herd by preventing more
than 99% of any potential BSE infectivity from entering the Canadian
feed system.

The banned tissues, which are collectively known as specified risk
material (SRM), have been shown in infected cattle to contain
concentrated levels of the BSE agent. Canada has already applied
identical protection to the human food system, where SRM are removed
from all cattle slaughtered for human consumption. This measure is
internationally recognized as the most effective way to protect the
safety of food from BSE.

"This ban tightens already strong, internationally recognized feed
controls and shortens the path we must follow to move beyond BSE," said
the Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and
Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board. "Preventing all these materials
from entering the animal feed chain minimizes risks and demonstrates the
commitment of Canada's new government to take necessary, science-based
actions to address BSE."

Ongoing surveillance testing continues to indicate that the level of BSE
in Canada is very low. This is attributable to Canada's current feed
ban, which has prohibited the use of SRM in feed for cattle and other
ruminant animals since 1997. Extending SRM controls to all animal feeds
addresses potential contamination that could occur during feed
production, transportation, storage and use. Removing SRM from pet food
and fertilizers is intended to mitigate the risk associated with the
potential exposure of cattle and other susceptible animals to BSE
through the misuse of these products.

The new outcome-based regulations enter into force on July 12, 2007,
with additional time provided for small establishments to achieve full
compliance. In the meantime, an awareness campaign will be undertaken to
ensure that all regulated parties are fully aware of their
responsibilities and have adjusted their practices and procedures as
required. Special emphasis will be placed on working closely and in full
cooperation with small abattoirs to help them transition to the new
requirements and facilitate their long-term viability. The Government
has set aside $80 million to work with the provinces to assist
industry's implementation of the new feed controls.

Enhanced feed controls complete the Government's response to the
detection of BSE, consistent with the recommendations of the
international team of experts that reviewed Canada's situation. As a
priority, Canada first focused on human health protection, which was
achieved through the removal of SRM from the food system. Attention then
turned to animal health measures through intensified surveillance
testing for BSE and increased animal tracing capabilities.

SRM are defined as the skull, brain, trigeminal ganglia (nerves attached
to the brain), eyes, tonsils, spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia
(nerves attached to the spinal cord) of cattle aged 30 months or older
and the distal ileum (portion of the small intestine) of cattle of all
ages.

For more information:
Fact Sheet: Canada's Enhanced Feed Ban

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/anima/feebet/rumin/enhrene.shtml