UNITED STATES-BY PRODUCTS GOING FOR LANDFILL.
— Cattle material prohibited in animal feed (C.M.P.A.F.) is non-hazardous solid waste and thus can be disposed of in landfills, the Environmental Protection Agency announced on April 16.
Packers, renderers and other industry segments have been concerned about alternative disposal of C.M.P.A.F. and dead stock that will no longer be rendered since the publication of new feed regulations last year, according to the American Meat Institute. Some landfills stated that C.M.P.A.F. would be classified as hazardous waste and thus would be very expensive to dispose.
While state/local governments, which regulate solid waste, and private landfills are free to apply restrictions on C.M.P.A.F. This clarification from E.P.A. gives them a green light to accept it. Many states and landfill operators have been reluctant to accept dead animals or certain specified-risk materials in the past due to uncertainty regarding how E.P.A. would classify the materials.
On April 25, 2008, the Food and Drug Administration published a final rule prohibiting the use of certain cattle parts in all animal feed, including pet food. Cattle parts now prohibited from being used in animal feed consist primarily of brains and spinal cords from cattle 30 months of age or older, and the entire carcass of dead stock cattle — unless such cattle are shown to be less than 30 months of age or the brains and spinal cords are removed.
Originally scheduled to be implemented April 27, 2009, the new regulation has been delayed for 60 days to June 26.
