December 6, 2013
US Federal Register amends animal importation rules in relation to BSE
With regard to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the US Federal Register amended the regulations that govern the importation of animals and animal products to revise the conditions for the importation of live bovines and products derived from bovines.
US Federal Register said, "We are basing importation conditions on the inherent risk of BSE infectivity in specified commodities, as well as on the BSE risk status of the region in which the commodities originate. We are establishing a system for classifying regions as to BSE risk that is consistent with the system employed by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). The conditions we are adopting for the importation of specified commodities are based on internationally accepted scientific literature, and are, in general, consistent with guidelines set out in the OIE''s Terrestrial Animal Health Code."
"We are also classifying certain specified countries as to BSE risk and are removing BSE restrictions on the importation of cervids and camelids and products derived from such animals. We are making these amendments after conducting a thorough review of relevant scientific literature and a comprehensive evaluation of the issues and concluding that the changes to the regulations will continue to guard against the introduction of BSE into the US, while allowing the importation of additional animals and animal products into this country," the US Federal Register added.
The current regulations prohibit the importation of live ruminants and most ruminant products from regions that have BSE or that present an undue risk for BSE. The regulations are less restrictive for ruminants and ruminant products from BSE minimal-risk regions (currently only Canada). Additionally, the regulations allow the importation of boneless beef from Japan even though Japan is listed as a region that has BSE. We are replacing the current BSE regulations that apply to bovines (cattle and bison) with import conditions based on the inherent risk of BSE infectivity in specified commodities, as well as on the BSE risk status of the region in which the commodities originate. We are establishing a system for classifying regions as to BSE risk that is consistent with the system employed by the OIE, the international standard-setting organisation for guidelines related to animal health.