FDA delays new animal-disposal rules 60 days

As we recently reported, many communities were left scrambling as companies dropped dead-animal disposal from their roster of services in anticipation of tougher Food and Drug Administration pet-food standards set to go in effect on April 27. The standards, which require brains and spines of cows older than 30 months to be removed before processing, would make cow disposal more expensive. But now the FDA is delaying the effecive date 60 days.

Laura Knoth, spokesperson for the Kentucky Farm Bureau, told Andy Mead of the Lexington Herald-Leader that "the delay will give the bureau more time to educate farmers on other disposal methods and 'to give the FDA more information on the hardship this would impose.'" But State Veterinarian Robert Stout said that the measure will only give farmers short-term relief: "In the long term, it's not expected there will be a lot of change." (Read more)