No one can guarantee the safety and wholesomeness of every bag of feed produced by every feed mill across the country. Although equine feeds are less regulated than pet foods and other livestock feeds-remember, horses are legally considered livestock, but they aren't a food animal nor are they legally a pet animal-there are some safeguards in place to ensure that we can confidently purchase safe feed.
Who's in Charge?
Both human foods and animal foods are regulated by the same agencies. At the federal level, the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine (FDA/CVM) is ultimately responsible for overseeing the safety of animal feeds.
Working with the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), the FDA has established a list of ingredients considered safe and appropriate for inclusion in horse feeds. In some instances, this also includes maximal levels permitted. Minimal requirements for labeling are also established.
FDA Responds To Pergolide Loss
On May 11, just after our June issue went to press, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an official statement that included permission for the compounding of the drug pergolide for horses, within the framework of a valid client-patient-veterinarian relationship.
The statement indicated the FDA would exercise "regulatory discretion" with regard to compounding pergolide for horses from bulk drug sources. This basically means they're willing to bend the rules since, at this time, there is no other source. Importers were instructed how to properly label the drug so that there would be no hold-up at customs, and the flow of the bulk drug through drug wholesalers is expected to resume promptly.
Under the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets acceptable levels for contaminating pesticides or other chemicals in ingredients to be used for animal feeds. They also work in conjunction with the FDA and USDA to establish surveillance systems. Testing is performed under the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, CFSAN.
Unfortunately, there is no federal licensing requirement for a business to become an equine feed mill. There are also no federal operating standards or inspections.
However, in the wake of September 11, the FDA tightened its control over foods and food ingredients, including for animals. By law, the FDA has to be notified when foods or ingredients are being imported and their distribution is carefully documented. The FDA also has the power to quickly stop the movement/sale of any suspect product, foreign or domestic.
Animal feeds at the state level are regulated by the individual Departments of Agriculture. The regulations will be spelled out in their Commercial Feed Law.
Most states follow the federal standards for ingredients and labeling, although additional labeling requirements may vary by state. States also conduct random feed samplings to make sure that the feed conforms to its label claims, such as its listed percentage of protein or amount of calcium included.
States often publish an annual list of feeds sampled that didn't meet label claims. Protein, the most expensive ingredient in feeds, is also the level that most frequently don't meet label claims.
