Dear Producer:

In 1997, the Food and Drug Administration adopted a regulation, 21 CFR 589.2000, prohibiting the feeding of any ruminant derived protein (meat & bone meal) to cattle and other ruminants. This regulation resulted from efforts to control any possible introduction or spread of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) or "Mad Cow Disease" into the domestic cattle herd of the United States.

Because of recent worldwide media attention on the BSE issue and a desire to reassure consumers that all possible steps are being taken to continue to keep BSE out of the United States, a number of beef packers/processors and retail operations have established certification programs for their suppliers to insure that they are not receiving cattle that have been fed ruminant derived protein materials.

Participating packers in the certification program have made it clear that they will not purchase any cattle from producers who have not signed a certificate certifying that none of their cattle or other ruminant animals have been fed any feed containing protein derived from ruminant tissues and/or that none of the livestock being sold have illegal levels of drug residues. Thus, for some packers and buyers to purchase your cattle, we will need to have the enclosed certification signed and on file prior to or at the time you bring your cattle to the market for sale.

I very much regret the concern and inconvenience that the packer certification requirement may cause you, but I very much value you as a customer and look forward to continuing to meet your marketing needs. If you have any questions or concerns in this regard, please do not hesitate to give me a call.

Sincerely,

P.S. Below I have copied suggestions for complying with the FDA regulation.

Suggestions for complying with FDA Regulation, 21 CFR 589.2000:

Prohibited feed (feed containing ruminant derived protein) must be identified with a warning label and the use of any prohibited feed in cattle rations must be avoided.

Ruminant feed suspected of containing prohibited ingredients, should not be accepted. Producers should buy feed products only from companies that comply with FDA rules.

If mixing feed for both cattle and non-ruminant animals, such as hogs and poultry, and you use prohibited materials in the non-ruminant feed, you must either use a completely separate mixer for the cattle feed or carefully clean out your mixer to be sure no prohibited materials contaminates the cattle or ruminant feed. Even if you do not mix your own feed but purchase feed for both cattle and non-ruminants, you must take steps to make sure that any prohibited material intended for your non-ruminant animals is not accidentally fed to your cattle or other ruminant animals.

You must keep records for a minimum of one-year concerning all animal protein ingredients you buy and use with your cattle. Keep at least one representative copy of the label from each type of feed you buy.

On-farm inspections may be performed by the Food and Drug Administration to verify that prohibited materials have not been fed to cattle.

Livestock Owners' Certificate
(Continuing)

The undersigned certifies that, to the best of his/her/its knowledge, as of the date of shipment or delivery, none of the livestock shipped to or delivered to Gillespie Livestock Company will be, on such date, adulterated within the meaning of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (i.e., none of the cattle or other ruminants will have been fed any feed containing protein derived from mammalian tissues, e.g. meat and bone meal, as that term is defined in 21 CFR 589.2000 and none of the livestock will have an illegal level of drug residues). This certificate shall remain in full force and effect until revoked in writing by the undersigned seller and such revocation is delivered to Gillespie Livestock Company.

Date:_________________

Seller: Name (please print)_______________________________________________

By: Signature/Title_____________________________________________________

Street Address________________________________________________________

City/State/Zip__________________________________________________________

Please print this page, fill in the above information and return it to:
Gillespie Livestock Company
P.O. Box 454 • Fredericksburg, Texas 78624
830-997-4394 • Fax 830-997-5804

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