January 29, 2015

Regulatory concerns facing feed sector tackled at IPPE 2015

By F.E. OLIMPO

ATLANTA, Georgia -- Feed industry leaders took advantage of their presence at the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) 2015, now being held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, to discuss critical issues facing the feed sector, especially those involving government regulations.

The International Feed Industry Federation (IFIF), made up of national and regional feed associations, and feed-related organizations from around the globe, representing over 80% of the feed production worldwide, held its 8th International Feed Regulators Meeting (IFRM) simultaneous with IPPE 2015.

Mario Sergio Cutait, IFIF chairman, said a record number of feed industry representatives and government officials from around the world attended the meeting held on the sidelines of the poultry exhibition.

Mr. Cutait said all regions in the world and key regulatory bodies were represented at the 8th IFRM. Yet again, he said, "this meeting proved an important opportunity for the global feed industry and feed regulators to discuss key issues for the feed and food chain, such as feed safety management, product registration and capacity development for feed safety to implement the Codex requirements."

This dialogue, he added, "is an important example of the private sector collaborating with the FAO and regulators from around the world and we believe that only by working together can we continue to ensure feed and food safety, while meeting the global demands for food sustainably."

Daniela Battaglia, livestock development officer at the Animal Production and Health Division of the FAO, said that "the success of this meeting is proof that FAO efforts to facilitate dialogue between the public and private sectors are worthwhile."

Ms. Battaglia said "feed operators can valuably contribute to make the livestock and food sectors more responsible and sustainable and to achieve other important goals such as food security, public health, and animal health and welfare," adding that the regulators meeting "is an important opportunity to exchange ideas among stakeholders from around the world and to coordinate our efforts towards common goals."

Also discussed at the 8th IFRM were feed legislations in South Africa, Australia and Latin America. Feed-related work in the Codex Alimentarius Commission and the implementation of the Codex Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Animal Feeding (TF AF) terms of reference documents at the national level were also tackled.

The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) also used the occasion to reiterate the changes it wants in the Food Safety Modernisation Act (FSMA) being drafted by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Described by the AFIA as "the most massive overhaul of the animal feed industry regulations since 1958," FSMA as currently worded is too confusing and could prove too costly for American feed millers.

Richard Sellers, AFIA senior vice president for legislative and regulatory affairs, dissected the proposed legislation at the Technology Exchange Forum part of IPPE 2015.

"We recognise the inclusion of many of the industry's suggested changes by the FDA to the proposed rules as they continue to reduce the cost of the implementation of the final rule," Mr. Sellers said.

But "this is not enough," he said.

Comments submitted by the AFIA to the FDA "revolved around the language of the rule," he said. The organisation believes there is still language within the proposed rule that could be confusing to the industry.

The AFIA urged the FDA "to recognise that one regulatory solution may not be appropriate for both human food and animal food," according to Mr. Sellers.

Compliance with the rules and the implementation period is still a large and looming issue with AFIA. "We urge the agency to closely examine our request for changing FDA's one, two and three year implementation period for regular, small and  very small businesses, respectively, and consider the two, three and four year approach" earlier proposed by the association.