ARLINGTON, VA. and WASHINGTON — The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) and Pet Food Institute (PFI) expressed their support of a new amendment to dedicate $8 million in funding to the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM). The amendment, which passed the US House of Representatives on July 20, will help expedite new feed ingredient reviews.

According to AFIA, the FDA’s rigorous new ingredient review process takes companies about three to five years to fully complete. The lengthy process prevents further innovations within the animal feed and pet food industries, as well as harms farmers and ranchers, according to AFIA.

The amendment was introduced by Representative Jim Baird (R-Ind.) and various bipartisan cosponsors.

“Representative Baird said it best when he shared that it is important for the United States to have a regulatory framework that offers a timely and predictable path to the marketplace for feed ingredients and that can keep pace with the evolving science of animal nutrition,” said Constance Cullman, president and chief executive officer of AFIA. “The additional FDA funding for feed ingredient reviews in the House-passed spending bill is a huge win for the US feed industry, putting us more on-par with other countries that continue to move forward with safe ingredients to enhance the safety, quality, environmental impact and nutrition of feed and pet food.

“We thank the committee and Representatives Baird, Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif.; David Rouzer, R-NC; Jim Costa, D-Calif; Kim Schrier, D-Wash.; and Dusty Johnson, R-SD, at large, for cosponsoring the amendment,” Cullman added. “We urge Senate appropriators to recognize the need to keep America’s agriculture competitive and include this dedicated funding in their final appropriations legislation.”

The new amendment is part of the US House of Representative’s fiscal 2023 “minibus” package of six bills.

“We thank Representative Baird and his cosponsors for their forward thinking,” said Dana Brooks, president and chief executive officer of PFI. “It’s critical that the US has a regulatory framework that allows for the timely approval of pet food ingredients that represent the latest in nutrition science. The goal of pet food manufacturers is to develop recipes that deliver the nutrients our pets need to live long, healthy lives. A timely approval path allows manufacturers to make the latest innovations available to consumers as quickly as possible.”

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