The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) was requested by the European Parliament (EP) to assess, with respect to Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), the safety for human health of the utilisation of non-ruminant Meat and Bone Meal (MBM). More specifically, EFSA was requested (i) to evaluate the risk from using non-ruminant MBM in pig and poultry feed, once it is possible to distinguish protein origin up to different species and (ii) the introduction of certain tolerance levels with regard to small quantities of MBM in animal feed and the parameters which could be utilized to define these tolerance levels and quantities.

The EFSA opinion takes account of the general control measures in place in the European Union (EU) and assumes the effectiveness of these controls in avoiding cross-contamination, both deliberate and accidental. This opinion considers all available scientific data and information related to the risk of transmission of the BSE agent through feed and, by this means, addresses the risk of causing BSE related exposure to humans, as well as risks related to some other TSE agents. In replying to the above mentioned questions, this assessment only considers the use of pig Processed Animal Proteins^[2] (PAPs) in poultry feed and the use of poultry PAPs in pig feed. With respect to the introduction of certain tolerance levels with regards to small quantities of MBM in animal feed, this assessment considers such a tolerance for animal proteins of any species in animal feed.

To date, no Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs) have been identified as occurring in pigs or poultry under natural conditions. Taking account of the epidemiological situation of BSE in cattle in the EU, which indicates a decreasing trend, together with the current control measures in place to avoid exposure of pigs and poultry to BSE contaminated material, the EFSA Scientific Panel on Biological Hazards (BIOHAZ) concluded that the risk of transmitting BSE to pigs utilizing poultry PAPs and vice versa is negligible. Consequently in this scenario any increase in the exposure risk of BSE to humans would be negligible. If TSE in birds or pigs is identified in the future as occurring under natural conditions, the assessment presented here will no longer be valid.

The BIOHAZ Panel further concluded that the risk of transmitting BSE through small quantities of animal proteins in feed to ruminants can not be excluded, but considering the current protective measures in place in the EU^[3], the few infected animals that could arise from this contamination would probably not be able to sustain the BSE epidemic but would increase the human exposure risk to BSE. The risk of transmitting BSE to non-ruminants is considered to be lower than to ruminants, as long as intra-species recycling is avoided. Consequently in this scenario the increase in the exposure risk of BSE to humans is negligible.

In the event that a tolerance level was required to be set up in order to quantify animal proteins in animal feed, the BIOHAZ Panel considered the Limit of Quantification (LOQ) of the method used to set such tolerance level as the parameter required. However the BIOHAZ Panel concluded that it is currently not possible to set a LOQ because of insufficient data on the performance of relevant detection methods for quantification. It is therefore recommended that studies be conducted to define the LOQ for different types of animal proteins in feed.
In a hypothetical situation in which pigs are allowed to be fed with poultry PAPs and vice versa or, in general, inter-species recycling is allowed, currently it is not possible to quantify the level of contamination with non authorized products containing animal proteins in feed. Accordingly it is technically not possible at present to determine whether the contamination is below or above a defined tolerance level.
 

The BIOHAZ Panel further concluded that compared to the current measures in place in EU, the introduction of a tolerance level, which has to be defined at a certain level above the LOQ, will lead to an increase in the risk of transmission of BSE or other TSEs, depending on the species. This increased risk can not be quantified.