25/10/13: AFIA and NGFA release feed rules statement

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued proposed rules on Current Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Food for Animals. The release marks the latest set of proposed rules issued by the agency to implement the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).  

In response, the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) and National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA), both representing feed manufacturers' interests in the US, issued the following joint statements today:
 
"We are pleased to see these rules are now available for public comment," said Richard Sellers, AFIA vice president of feed regulation and nutrition. 

 "These rules will have a major impact on our members. We will begin implementing our plan to analyze the preventive control rules jointly with the Foreign Supplier Verification and the Accreditation of Third Party Auditors rules already released. We have asked the agency to extend the deadline for comments to match the preventive control rules deadline."

“Publishing the proposed preventive control rule for animal feed and pet food is another important step in FDA’s ongoing implementation of FSMA,” said David Fairfield, NGFA vice president of feed services. 

“We intend to work closely with AFIA, Pet Food Institute and other industry partners in developing comments on the proposed provisions to help ensure the requirements are achievable and facilitate the continued manufacture and distribution of safe animal feed and pet food.”
 

See the proposed rules here.

The rules will be published in the Federal Register on 29 October 2013

Comments will be due 120 days after the official publication in the Federal Register.