BSE Inspections for Dairy Farms
Recently a dairy farm in North Georgia underwent an on-farm BSE inspection by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Georgia Milk would like for dairymen to be aware that this type of inspection could be a possibility for any Georgia dairy farm in the future. Below is a list of requirements for livestock producers to meet:
What to Expect During a FDA On-Farm Inspection for BSE:
If you feed ruminants and do not manufacture feed, the checklist for compliance to BSE standards is fairly simple.
Dairymen must:
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Keep copies of labels for all feed containing animal protein.
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Keep copies of purchase invoices for all feed containing animal protein.
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Keep these copies for at least a year. It is advisable to keep copies of labels for all feeds (even those not containing animal protein) in order to show that you are taking a proactive approach to keeping your ruminants BSE-free.
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Make sure to keep your feed properly labeled because inspectors may ask to see where feed is stored and check to ensure that it is labeled correctly.
Pet Food:
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If you store feeds for pets (such as cats and dogs, for which animal proteins are acceptable), store those in a separate facility from the ruminant feeds.
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Make sure ruminants do not have access to this separate storage facility.
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Never feed pet food or feed intended for other species to your ruminant.
The inspection is more extensive for feed-production operations. The details of this inspection can be found, along with the entire BSE inspection checklist at this link:
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AboutFDA/ReportsManualsForms/Forms/UCM052412.pdf
More information on what to expect during an inspection can also be found here:
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdard/BSE_Brochure_May_2013_422751_7.pdf