March 31, 2011
CFIA to increase speed of approval for feed ingredients
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency intends to amend the approval process for livestock feed ingredients in order to get new products to market quicker.
The agency''s suggested amendments to the federal Feeds Regulations would allow for the instant manufacture or import and sale of a new feed ingredient, either as a feed on its own or in mixed feeds, once a CFIA evaluation and approval is complete.
At the moment, feeds cannot be made, imported or sold in Canada until they are listed in the Feeds Regulations'' Schedule IV (energy ingredients, protein ingredients, minerals, vitamins) or Schedule V (feed flavouring agents).
However, that may cause a potentially major delay between when a new ingredient is analysed, and given approval at CFIA, and when a rule change is passed and takes formal effect, the agency said.
The amendment in the Feeds Regulations, would allow periodic changes to be made to Schedules IV and V. This will formalise the approval of listed ingredients and previous listings changed since the last update, and enable ingredients to be produced, imported, and marketed.
The proposal aims to make new ingredients available in the marketplace as fast as possible but it will not have an effect on how CFIA''s feed ingredient assessments are conducted, the agency stressed.
The suggested changes, which CFIA is getting ready to pre-publish soon in the media, also would not mean any change in the fee for an application for a new ingredient registration. Nor would it change the need for supporting information to be submitted to show the safety and efficacy of a new ingredient, CFIA said.