Industry awaits distillers grain policy
Sunday, March 30, 2008
by SUSAN MANN
The policy is being developed to ensure the dried distillers’ grain (DDGs) going into animal feed is safe for animals, people and the environment. “Both the industry and the government have a responsibility in ensuring that feeds are safe and effective,” says Annie Savoie, biotechnology coordinator with the CFIA’s animal feed division.
Policy development began in 2003 after the CFIA noticed an increase in the number of ethanol plants being built in both Canada and around the world and an increase in the amount of grains being diverted from traditional feeds into the ethanol manufacturing, says Savoie.
The concern is that ethanol production doesn’t include the use of chemicals to control fermentation or clean vats don’t conform to human consumption uses, says Ron Lackey, feed ingredients and byproducts specialist, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
Ethanol manufacturers currently supply DDGs to feed makers although a policy isn’t in place yet. Manufacturers will have to comply with the policy once it’s in place, Savoie says.
Some industry representatives say it will be good to have a clear-cut policy; others are concerned about trade implications.
Any new policy can’t impede the flow of DDGs either being exported from Canada or imported into this country, says president Gordon Quaiattini, president of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association, a non-profit organization of representatives from ethanol, biodiesel and agricultural groups. That flow could be affected if standards for product approval or definitions of production processes are different in Canada compared to the U.S.
It’s possible those differences might lead to Canada or the U.S. refusing to allow the DDGs to cross their borders. “That has a huge impact, particularly in Canada because we’re just getting off the ground,” he says, adding it would impact livestock producers who use DDGs for feed.
The association believes the CFIA already has enough regulations to govern DDGs in feed and this new one isn’t needed.
“The position we have taken is we already have experience,” Quaiattini says, pointing out the process used to make ethanol closely resembles the one to make beverage alcohol. “There is no need for any further regulatory provision.”
Feed manufacturers are concerned new regulations could lead to increased costs for DDGs, says Julie Latremouille, manager of regulatory affairs for the Animal Nutrition Association of Canada, a national trade association representing Canada’s livestock and poultry feed industry. “There would be more requirements on the producers. It would cost manufacturers more to produce them and to ensure safety.”
The Ontario Cattlemen’s Association is looking for the policy to be fair to beef producers, says communications manager Lianne Appleby, adding that their big concern is food safety. “We would support any policy that makes sure that food safety is paramount.”
Lackey minimizes the implications surrounding the development of the policy. “There may not be anything come out of it,” he says. “We’ve been feeding it for a number of years.” Ethanol “is politically charged.”
As of March 27 the CFIA hadn’t received any comments but a number of people and organizations said they would be submitting them. Savoie says it’s not uncommon to receive a flood of emails on the deadline day.
Depending on what comments are sent in the CFIA may hold another meeting of industry representatives as is hashes out a draft policy on the grains’ use as feed. The agency plans to release the final policy this fall.
The draft, Regulation of Distillers’ Grains Derived as By-Products from the Ethanol Production Process, can be found at the CFIA’s web site – www.inspection.gc.ca. BF