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Ag Notes: New regulations on hay transporting

August 02, 2006|JERRY LITTLE

Under the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002, regulations regarding the transporting of hay will go into effect in December. The new rules are designed to protect against serious threats to the food supply.

The regulations relate only to transported hay that is destined to be fed to livestock entering the nation's food chain, such as beef and dairy cattle, sheep and goats.

All size farms are affected, but those who grow hay exclusively for use in their own livestock operation will see no change in the current procedures. This means that most Kentucky producers will not be affected by the change in the rules.

The regulations state that specific documentation must be kept by farmers if they sell, barter, give away or otherwise ship hay destined for use as livestock feed off the originating farm. If someone else does the hauling, then the responsibility for record keeping shifts to the transporter.

The Food and Drug Administration considers transporters to be anyone who has possession or control of an article of food for the sole purpose of transporting it by rail, road, water or air.

The transporter's records must include both the source of the hay and the recipient, the origin and destination points, the date the shipment was received and the date it was released. A description of the freight and the number of packages must be noted. The transporter also must keep track of the route the shipment followed, any transfer points during transport, and the name of each carrier involved in the shipping process.

Keep records for one year

The FDA requires that records concerning animal food be kept for one year. The documentation may be kept in either a paper or an electronic format. Currently, a standard bill of lading provides most of this information.

When the FDA suspects that foodstuffs have been tampered with and present a health threat to humans or animals in the food chain, any records must be easily accessible and made available for inspection or photocopying. Records must be produced within 24 hours from the time of notification.

However, these new regulations will not impact the majority of Kentucky farmers. In this state most producers grow hay for their own use and do not intend to provide it to other facilities. Thus, they are not affected by the change in the FDA's rules.

Contact the Boyle County Extension Service Office for more information on the new regulations for transporting hay.

Jerry Little is Boyle County extension agent for agricultural and natural resources.

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