071234 Pet Food May Lead to Mad Cow

The Salt Lake Tribune - Ranchers struggling with high hay costs and burned out ranges are being warned that feeding cattle cheap pet food could cause an outbreak of mad cow disease.

Some pet foods contain animal byproducts that if fed to beef or dairy cows pose the threat of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease, says state veterinarian Earl Rogers.

"It is possible that some pet food manufacturers who have heard of the depletion of feed sources in Utah because of drought and fire may offer their scrap material to Utah ranchers," said Rogers. "Both buyers and sellers must know that any pet food containing cattle or other ruminant material cannot be fed to other cattle."

Feeding pet food to cattle, which is banned under state and federal law, could result in the slaughter of an entire herd, he said.

Government inspectors regularly visit feed manufacturers to ensure that animal byproducts are not being mixed with feed destined for cattle. And any food source containing ruminant protein must be clearly labeled.

State officials, however, are worried that some farmers may be tempted to supplement cattle feed with the banned material because pet food scraps are commonly fed to swine and poultry.

"We're just being cautious," said state field veterinarian Wyatt Frampton of the warning.

In humans, there is strong epidemiologic and laboratory data linking a rare, degenerative, fatal brain disorder called variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease to the consumption of contaminated beef, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

More than 140 cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease have been reported in the United Kingdom, where mad cow disease was first detected. Federal officials said one case has been reported in the United States, but the young woman probably contracted the disease while living in the United Kingdom.

In Utah, Brent Tanner, executive vice president of the state's Cattlemen's Association, acknowledges that ranchers are under financial pressures but added that "ranching is a lifetime commitment. People care - and they are in this for the long haul."

Farmers and ranchers who are struggling are able to take out low-cost loans, but emergency funding for natural disasters is tied up in the farm bill, which expired in September. The Senate is debating the legislation after an earlier filibuster.

Hay prices in the state have more than doubled from last year, sometimes selling for as much as $300 per ton. In addition, Utah this summer suffered massive rangeland fires that blackened more than 600,000 acres, the largest in state history.

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