With the strong support of renderers, cattle owners, feed manufacturers, and feed lot owners, FDA launched a compliance and education program, including a rigorous inspection program. The goal of these efforts is to achieve as close to 100 percent compliance with this new regulation as possible. FDA and state regulators have conducted nearly 10,000 inspections of renderers, feed mills, ruminant feeders, dairy farms, protein blenders, feed haulers, and distributors since January 1998. More than three-quarters of these establishments were found to be in compliance. And most of the establishments that initially had problems were found in compliance upon re-inspection.
Education is also an extremely important part of the compliance program.
FDA has sponsored workshops for state veterinarians and feed control officials from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Canada. In addition, FDA has held briefing sessions with trade associations and consumer groups, and has developed additional guidances for complying with the regulation. Based on an evaluation of the inspections conducted from 1998 through 2000, FDA will revise its compliance strategy to try to assure its goal of 100 percent adherence to the feeding regulations. FDA and USDA recently took emergency action to prevent potentially cross-contaminated products from entering the United States. FDA and USDA will continue to aggressively enforce their regulations and to work closely with those in the cattle and feed industries to minimize the risk of BSE introduction or spread in U.S. cattle herds.