USDA Posts Report on Harmonized North American BSE Strategy
The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has posted to its Web site the Report of the North American Chief Veterinary Officers on Harmonization of a BSE Strategy.
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On March 17, 2005, U.S., Canadian, and Mexican officials met to conclude discussions on the establishment of common minimum standards for measures to effectively manage the risk of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in North America.
Proposed BSE Minimum Standards Will Be Considered in Each Country
The report states that as a result of those meetings, the U.S., Canada, and Mexico developed a set of proposed minimum standards for BSE measures in North America, which will be presented to the appropriate animal health and public health officials in each country for consideration within their respective regulatory processes. The report notes that it does not change requirements for products currently being traded.
The proposed minimum standards concern the following: specified risk materials (SRMs); non-ambulatory disabled cattle; stunning, mechanical meat separation processes; import controls; surveillance; ruminant feed restrictions; animal identification system; and risk assessment.
Regional Trade Conditions Should Be Established for Ruminant Products While Minimum International Standards Are Being Implemented
The report states that while the long-term goal is to bring trade conditions for ruminants and ruminant products into line with the provisions of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) Code, it was recognized that conditions for regional trade should be established in the shorter term while the minimum standards are being put in place.
The following products are discussed in the report: beef and offal (including edible/inedible offal); live cattle; other live ruminants and their meat and products; camelids and cervids and their meat and products; blood and blood products; veterinary biologics; pet food; and protein free tallow and derivatives made from such tallow.
(See ITT's Online Archives or 04/05/05 news, 05040599 3, for BP summary on the USDA's press release announcing establishment of the harmonized BSE strategy.)
Report available at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/issues/bse/04-01-05na_bse_harmonization.pdf