The current global prices of fish meal in the international market have put an incredible strain on the purchasers and users of protein feed ingredients. To this end, the National Renderers Association (NRA) hosted a “Fish Meal Replacement Seminar” in Panama City, Panama, in late July 2006. Over 120 attendees from more than 14 countries attended to learn about the utilization of rendered animal proteins in aquaculture rations.
Speakers from six countries presented various aspects of utilizing rendered animal proteins. Those speakers included Dr. Don Franco, Center for Biosecurity, Food Safety, and Public Health; Dr. Dominique Bureau, University of Guelph; and Dr. Albert Tacon, University of Hawaii. Also presenting were Dr. Sergio Nates, Fats and Proteins Research Foundation president, and Dr. Yu Yu, NRA regional director for Asia.
The seminar focused on replacing fish meal in aquafeed formulations with rendered animal proteins, which present the best alternatives as a fish meal substitute. Topics presented were related to the proper utilization and handling of animal proteins, production practices to guarantee the quality of rendered products, aquaculture feeding trial results, and the biosecurity of animal proteins, among others.
Current fish meal prices have almost doubled when compared to price levels of the first quarter of 2006, and due to the success of the event organized in Panama, Colombian sanitary officials, or Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario (ICA), requested that a similar event be organized in Bogota with the participation of regulatory officials, aquaculture producers, and feed manufacturers. Thus, the NRA and ICA organized a second fish meal replacement seminar in Bogota September 29, 2006, which focused on the safety of U.S. rendered animal protein meals and their utilization in the feed industry. The NRA took advantage of this event to re-emphasise the fact that animal protein meals from the United States are safe and present the best alternative to replace fish meal in aquafeed formulations. Industry and regulatory personnel from Andean countries were invited to participate.
The United States produces approximately four million metric tons of animal proteins for the feed and pet food industries annually.
Canada Marks Eighth BSE Case
In late August, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) confirmed the country’s eighth case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and concluded its investigation into two cases discovered in July.
The latest case, announced August 23, 2006, has the animal’s age between eight and 10 years old, based on preliminary information provided by the owner and an examination conducted by a private veterinarian. Based on this age range, exposure to the BSE agent likely occurred either before Canada’s feed ban, which prohibits the feeding of mammalian proteins to ruminants, was introduced in 1997 or during the ban’s early implementation. No part of the animal’s carcass entered the human food or animal feed systems.
A CFIA investigation is underway to locate the positive animal’s birth farm in order to help definitively verify the animal’s age as well as help identify herd mates of interest and potential sources of contaminated feed. The positive animal was identified through Canada’s national BSE surveillance program, which has tested more than 117,500 cattle from the highest risk populations since 2003.
The investigations into two previous cases announced in July have been completed by CFIA. The first case, confirmed on July 3, 2006, was in a 16-year-old cow from Manitoba.
The advanced age limited the agency’s ability to collect information concerning the animal’s early history, including its birth farm. Investigators did trace 21 herd mates that had been previously purchased with the affected animal. One of these animals was still alive and tested negative for BSE.
CFIA determined that this animal was likely exposed to the BSE agent in 1989 or 1990, at which time the use of meat and bone meal in cattle feed was an accepted and legal practice. Feed fed to this animal after the introduction of Canada’s feed ban was found to be in compliance with regulatory requirements.
The second case, confirmed July 13, 2006, was in a 50-month-old dairy cow from Alberta. This age range is not significantly different from that of previous Canadian cases and indicates exposure to only a very low dose of BSE infectivity after the implementation of Canada’s feed ban.
In general, investigators observed good levels of compliance with the feed ban at the farm, retail, and manufacturing levels, but a particular incident was documented in one commercial feed facility that may have permitted the contamination of a single batch of cattle feed with prohibited material. The entire batch of feed was shipped to the BSE-positive animal’s farm, and while the investigation examined all possible routes of exposure, this particular batch of feed is the most probable source of infection. CFIA has launched an enforcement investigation.
The animal component of the investigation traced 172 cattle born or raised on the same premises as the positive animal. Using Canada’s identification system, CFIA accounted for all but eight of these animals and located 38 live cattle. Most of these animals have been humanely euthanized and incinerated. The remainder were under quarantine and will be destroyed once calving or harvesting of genetic material, as allowed by the World Organization for Animal Health, or OIE, is complete.
A complete summary of both investigations is available on CFIA’s Web site at www.inspection.gc.ca.
International Report - October 2006 Render