The House passed an appropriations measure on July 20 that includes $8 million to expedite feed ingredient approvals at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
An amendment by Rep. Jim Baird, R-Ind., provides FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) with the additional funding.
In April, the NGFA requested that House appropriators increase funding for CVM to streamline the animal food ingredient review and approval process. In a letter to House lawmakers, the NGFA, the American Feed Industry Association and the Pet Food Institute said delays at CVM are too costly for animal food companies, resulting in stifling innovation to address health and nutrition challenges in the animal food industry.
“Left unchecked, this ultimately reduces choices in the marketplace, especially for farmers, ranchers, and consumers looking for innovative ingredients for the health and safety of their animals,” NGFA noted.
The letter requested Congress appropriate more funding for CVM in fiscal 2023, specifically for hiring more staff, improving infrastructure, and providing IT assistance to conduct animal food ingredient reviews.
Meanwhile, FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf this week said FDA would review its animal feed ingredient policy and approval process.
During a Senate hearing on July 20, Califf committed to reviewing the agency’s process in response to questions from Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., who noted it currently takes three to five years for a new animal feed ingredient to be approved. Moran also noted that CVM’s policies for dictating these decisions have not been updated since 1998.
“The livestock industry is looking to offer solutions to meet the challenges related to climate,” Moran said. “However, the current FDA policy interpretations regulate certain feed ingredients which could reduce greenhouse gas emissions as animal drugs instead of as a feed ingredient.”
Source: NGFA