Sunday 15 April 2012

ON ANIMAL BY-PRODUCTS:
(copied from DEFRA site)
“Examples of animal by-products are: fallen stock on farms, pet animals when they die, and wild animals where they are suspected of being diseased. Other animal by-products include  meat, fish, milk and eggs when they are not intended for human consumption, and other products of animal origin including blood, hides, feathers, wool, bones, horns and hoofs.
Rules on use and disposal of animal by-products are set out in EU and UK legislation. There are controls on the use of animal by-products when used as feed (including pet food),  …”
So what are these controls?  Only certain categories of by-products may be used, and we’ll source that too.   All by-products are categorized as follows:  (quoted from DEFRA site, link at end)
“Category 1 Material
Category 1 material is defined in Article 8 of Regulation (EC) 1069/2009.
It is the highest risk, and consists principally of material that is considered a TSE risk, such as Specified Risk Material (SRM) - those parts of an animal considered most likely to harbour a disease such as BSE, e.g. bovine spinal cord.
Pet animals, zoo and circus animals and experimental animals are also classified as category 1 material due to the level of veterinary drugs and residues they may contain. Wild animals may also be classified as category 1 material when they are suspected of carrying a disease communicable to humans or animals.
Catering waste from means of international transport (i.e. which has come from outside the EU) is also category 1.
Category 2 Material
Category 2 material is defined in Article 9 of the Control Regulation.
Category 2 material is also high risk; it includes fallen stock, manure and digestive tract content. Category 2 is also the default status of any animal by-product not defined in the Control Regulation as either category 1 or category 3 material.
Category 3 Material
Category 3 material is defined in the Control Regulation.
Category 3 materials are considered low risk. Category 3 materials includes parts of animals that have been passed fit for human consumption in a slaughterhouse but which are not intended for consumption. Category 3 also includes products of animal origin, or foodstuffs containing products of animal origin which are no longer intended for human consumption for commercial reasons or due to manufacturing or packaging defects or other defects that do not pose a risk to public or animal health.

WHICH OF THESE CAN GO INTO DOG FOOD?  We are still trying to find out.

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