Input on Hay Regulations Sought

As the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) begins implementing regulations governing hay transport and sale as part of the Bioterrorism Act of 2002, NCBA is seeking input from affiliates to ensure the rules are implemented correctly.

In a guidance document released by FDA on Sept. 26, FDA says it will not require record keeping of eligible “farms” that either harvest/process hay for feeding on their own operation or for those farms that sell hay to another eligible farm. Also, hay that is transported by vehicles licensed to eligible farms will not require record keeping.

The guidance document is now open for public comment.  As FDA has finalized its rule, the comment period on this  is open-ended.  The full document is available at: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/recguid4.html.

NCBA encourages affiliates and stakeholders to review the FDA guidance document and contact Jenni Beck at jbeck@beef.org if you feel your state is not implementing this rule correctly.  NCBA will submit comments based on affiliate feedback.