Spinal cords and brains from cows 30 months of age or older and other high-risk material from cattle would not be allowed in pet foods under amendments to feed rules proposed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in October.

The proposed ban also would apply to feeds marketed for poultry and pigs.

The new prohibitions are designed to strengthen existing feed regulations to prevent bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly called mad cow disease.

Other materials that would be prohibited in pet food under the new proposal include:

• Brains and spinal cords from cattle of any age not inspected and passed for human consumption.
• Entire carcasses of cattle not inspected and passed for human consumption if the brains and spinal cords have not been removed.
• Tallow that is derived from the materials prohibited by the proposed rule if the tallow contains more than 0.15 percent insoluble impurities.
• Mechanically separated beef that is derived from the materials prohibited from the proposed rule.

According to a press release issued by the FDA, “The removal of high-risk materials from all animal feed—including pet food—will protect against the transmission of the agent of BSE that could occur either through cross-contamination of ruminant feed with non-ruminant feed or feed ingredients during feed manufacture and transport, or intentional or unintentional misfeeding of non-ruminant feed to ruminants on the farm.”

The Pet Food Institute (Washington) and the National Grain and Feed Association (Washington) commended the FDA for the proposed ban. “From a science, risk-assessment, and animal and human health standpoint, it makes eminent sense to remove potential infectivity at the top of the animal feed pyramid, making ruminant-based animal protein inherently safe at its source,” the PFI and NGFA said in a joint statement. “It also reduces or eliminates altogether the need for additional downstream regulatory controls that are burdensome and difficult and costly to enforce.”

The USDA and FDA already ban all high-risk materials from human food, dietary supplements and cosmetics, as well as prohibit certain slaughter-stunning practices.

The FDA will accept written comments on the proposed rule until Dec. 20, 2005. To see the proposed rule as well as the FDA’s summary of the rule, visit www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/bse.html.