To prevent the establishment and amplification of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) through animal feed in the United States, FDA implemented a final rule that prohibits the use of most mammalian protein in feeds for ruminant animals. This rule, 21 CFR Part 589.2000 of the Code of Federal Regulations, became effective on August 4, 1997 (here called the BSE/Ruminant Feed regulation.) Inspections of renderers, feed mills, ruminant feeders, protein blenders, pet food manufacturers, pet food salvagers, animal feed distributors and transporters, ruminant feeders, and others have been conducted to determine compliance with the BSE/Ruminant Feed regulations. The information presented here is derived from the FDA's database of inspection results.

The FDA's December 1998 enforcement plan for the ruminant feed rule includes education as well as inspections. Firms that are found to be in violation of any of the provisions of the regulation are re-inspected to determine if they have corrected the violations. Many of the firms have committed to implementing the regulation, so there are higher levels of compliance at the time of the follow-up inspection.

Inspectional findings and observations are entered into the FDA BSE/Ruminant Feed inspection database. The database is dynamic, with new information being entered on a continual basis. Each entry in the database represents the results of an individual inspection as was captured on the BSE/Ruminant Feed Inspection Checklist. Firm operations and compliance status may change over time. All suggested revisions to the data should be directed to the appropriate FDA District Office. The inspectional information presented here is updated on a weekly basis. The search results are available in a webpage (.html), or the entire database is available in a spreadsheet (.xls) format.

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