Additional Information Related to BSE

PROPOSED USDA RESTRICTIONS TO REDUCE RISK OF BSE

AMBULATORY vs. NONAMBULATORY

USDA RECALL CLASSIFICATIONS

ADVANCED MEAT RECOVERY TECHNOLOGY

RUMINANT PROTEIN FEED BAN

LINKS TO ADDITIONAL BSE INFORMATION

• Ban on all non-ambulatory cattle to enter the human food chain
• Confirmation before being marked "inspected and passed"
• Specified risk material list expanded to skull, brain, trigeminal ganglia, eyes, vertebral column, spinal cord, and dorsal root ganglia of cattle over 30 months of age as well as small intestine from cattle of all ages
• Advanced Meat Recovery prohibited material list expanded to include dosal root ganglia
• Air injection stunning banned to prevent portions of the brain from becoming dislocated into other tissues
• Mechanically separated meat prohibited to be used in the human food chain
• Implementation of a National Animal Identification System

Effective immediately non-ambulatory, often referred to as "downer" will not be allowed to enter the human food chain. As defined by Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS Dir. 6900.1 Rev. 1), non-ambulatory disabled livestock are those that "cannot rise from a recumbent position (downer) or that cannot walk, including, but not limited to, those with broken appendages, severed tendons or ligaments, nerve paralysis, fractured vertebral column or metabolic conditions." Ambulatory animals are defined by FSIS as "Livestock capable of walking but with physical impairment such as central nervous system signs, lameness or similar conditions."

Class I This is a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.

Class II This is a health hazard situation where there is a remote probability of adverse health consequences from the use of the product.

Class III This is a situation where the use of the product will not cause adverse health consequences.

Advanced Meat Recovery is a technology utilized by some meat processing facilities that involves mechanical separation of meat from the bone. More than 50% of the meat derived from this process originates from the neck and backbone region of the carcass, however, the total quantity of meat derived from this technology is relatively small at approximately 45 million pounds of beef in relation to the 26.5 billion pounds of beef produced annually in the US. USDA conducts inspections to test for spinal cord tissues in meat derived from this process. For additional information on this technology see the link below.

RUMINANT PROTEIN BAN

• Title 21 Code of Federal Regualtions, Part 589.2000
• Effective August 1997
• Banned the use of ruminant protein products in ruminant feeds
• Ruminant includes any animal having a stomach with four chambers including but not limited to: cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, deer, elk, and antelopes
• Products exempt from the ban include: blood and blood products, pure porcine (pork) or pure equine (horse) protein, inspected meat products, plate waste which has been cooked and offered for human food and further heat processed for animal feed, poultry, marine and vegetable protein, grease, tallow, fat, oil, synthetic amino acids, milk products
• Feed containing ruminant protein products labeled with "Do not feed to cattle or other ruminants"
• Those feeding ruminant animals shall maintain copeis of purchase invoices and labeling for all feeds containing animal protein products and records kept for at least one year

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