US-GAO report on Mad Cow disease

[Guest guest]

Actually, here's the summary. This has implications not only to meat

eaters, but also to those of us who buy feed from commercial sources in

the US, as the GAO indicates here that the inspection of known abusers

is spotty.

 

ys

 

hkdd

 

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February 2005

MAD COW DISEASE

FDA’s Management of the Feed Ban Has Improved, but Oversight Weaknesses

Continue to Limit Program Effectiveness

 

** Why GAO Did This Study **

 

More than 5 million cattle across Europe have been killed to stop the

spread of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly called mad

cow disease. Found in 26 countries, including Canada and the United

States, BSE is believed to spread through animal feed that contains

protein from BSE-infected animals. Consuming meat from infected cattle

has also been linked to the deaths of about 150 people worldwide. In

1997, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a feed-ban rule

prohibiting certain animal protein (prohibited material) in feed for

cattle and other ruminant animals.

 

FDA and 38 states inspect firms in the feed industry to enforce this

critical firewall against BSE. In 2002, GAO reported a number of

weaknesses in FDA’s enforcement of the feed ban and recommended

corrective actions. This report looks at FDA’s efforts since 2002 to

ensure industry compliance with the feed ban and protect U.S. cattle.

 

** What GAO Recommends **

 

GAO recommends FDA, among other things, develop procedures for finding

additional firms subject to the feed-ban and using tests to augment

inspections. FDA said the study was thorough but disagreed on four of

nine recommendations. GAO continues to believe that, given the discovery

of BSE in North America and the oversight gaps described in the report,

the recommended actions are needed to protect U.S. cattle from BSE.

 

 

February 2005

MAD COW DISEASE

FDA’s Management of the Feed Ban Has Improved, but Oversight Weaknesses

Continue to Limit Program Effectiveness

 

FDA has made needed improvements to its management and oversight of the

feed-ban rule in response to GAO’s 2002 report, but program weaknesses

continue to limit the effectiveness of the ban and place U.S. cattle at

risk of spreading BSE. Improvements made include FDA establishing a

uniform method of conducting compliance inspections and training FDA

inspectors, as well as state inspectors who carry out inspections under

agreements with FDA, on the new method.

 

FDA also implemented new data-entry procedures that are designed to more

reliably track feed-ban inspection results. Consequently, FDA has a

better management tool for overseeing compliance with the feed-ban rule

and a data system that better conforms to standard database management

practices. However, various program weaknesses continue to undermine the

nation’s firewall against BSE. For example:

 

• FDA acknowledges that there are more feed manufacturers and

transporters, on-farm mixers, and other feed industry businesses that

are subject to the feed ban than the approximately 14,800 firms

inspected to date; however, it has no uniform approach for identifying

additional firms.

 

• FDA has not reinspected approximately 2,800, or about 19 percent, of

those businesses, in 5 or more years; several hundred are potentially

high risk. FDA does not know whether those businesses now use prohibited

material in their feed.

 

• FDA’s feed-ban inspection guidance does not include instructions to

routinely sample cattle feed to test for potentially prohibited material

as part of the compliance inspection. Instead, it includes guidance for

inspectors to visually examine facilities and equipment and review

invoices and other documents.

 

• Feed intended for export is not required to carry a caution label “Do

not feed to cattle or other ruminants,” when the label would be required

if the feed were sold domestically. Without that statement, feed

containing prohibited material could be inadvertently or intentionally

diverted back to U.S. cattle or given to foreign cattle.

 

• FDA has not always alerted USDA and states when it learned that cattle

may have been given feed that contained prohibited material. This lapse

has been occurring even though FDA’s guidance calls for such communication.

 

• Although research suggests that cattle can get BSE from ingesting even

a small amount of infected material, inspectors do not routinely inspect

or review cleanout procedures for vehicles used to haul cattle feed.

 

 

 

What GAO Found

United States Government Accountability Office

Why GAO Did This Study

Highlights

Accountability Integrity Reliability

www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-101.

To view the full product, including the scope and methodology, click on

the link above. For more information, contact Robert A. Robinson at

(202) 512-3841 or robinsonr (AT) gao (DOT) gov.

Highlights of GAO-05-101, a report to congressional requesters

 

 

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Noma Petroff wrote:

 

>3. Mad Cow Disease: FDA's Management of the Feed Ban Has Improved,

>but Oversight Weaknesses Continue to Limit Program Effectiveness.

>GAO-05-101, Feb. 25.

>http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-101

>Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d05101high.pdf

>

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