Monitoring the Quality and Safety of Processed Animal Waste Products Sold Commercially as Feed

Animal waste contains nutrients that can be recovered and utilized by feeding to livestock and poultry. This material provides animal producers with another feed ingredient that can reduce feed costs. There is concern about the safety and quality standards of animal waste products and how they should be regulated when sold commercially. Currently, there are no federal regulations governing the commercial sale of processed animal waste products. However, several states have adopted their own regulations controlling the quality and safety of processed animal wastes as feed ingredients. This paper documents experiences from administering the California regulation regarding the sale of processed animal waste products for feed. Licensing for processing methods, quality standards and product safety are discussed. Data indicate that chemical composition of animal wastes can vary considerably. Wastes are monitored for drugs, pesticides, toxins and pathogens to ensure product safety. To date, there has been no major problem with the sale and feeding of processed animal wastes.