CFIA eyes feed rules for biofuel grains

Grains left over from making fuel aren’t the same as distillers’ grains left over from brewing beer — and if biofuel grains are to be fed to livestock, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency plans to regulate their use.

CFIA on Monday rolled out a draft policy paper outlining its proposed new regulations on the use of biofuel grains as livestock feed.

“We are working closely with industry stakeholders to determine the best way to use fuel ethanol distillers’ grains as an effective, safe feed ingredient,” federal Agriculture Gerry Ritz said in CFIA’s news release Monday.

CFIA plans to publish a final version of its policy document this fall and is looking for comment on its draft version until April 1.

Distillers’ grains coming from production of liquor and beer are based on processes using food-grade materials, and are already an approved protein feed in livestock rations, CFIA said.

“However, the manufacturing processes for fuel ethanol can differ from those for potable alcohol. As a result, distillers’ grains from the production of fuel ethanol are not approved as a feed ingredient.”

Nevertheless, the livestock sector has become an economic outlet for ethanol distillers’ grain and the agency said it has worked with ethanol processors since 2004 to raise awareness of the regulatory requirements for use of their distillers’ grain as livestock feed.

Some of the ingredients used in ethanol processing haven’t been assessed for safety and still need approval, CFIA said. For example, although some antimicrobial drugs known to be used in the fermentation process — including penicillin, streptomycin, ampicillin and virginiamycin — are considered to be at safe levels for livestock, two others — monensin sodium and tylosin tartrate — are “unacceptable” for feed use without further information or restrictions.

If an ethanol processor wants to use such other antimicrobial drugs in the fermentation process, or a higher rate of drugs currently considered to be at safe levels, then CFIA and Health Canada’s Veterinary Drugs Directorate would need to evaluate the safety of these antimicrobial drugs as “residual contaminants,” the agency wrote. Thus, an ethanol company would have to provide the CFIA with safety information on the antimicrobial it plans to use.

Likewise, fermentation microorganisms and enzymes would be considered safe if they’re on the federal Domestic Substances List or in food or feed regulations. If not, they would have to be assessed by a government agency such as CFIA or Health Canada.

Processing aids, such as antifoams and boiler chemicals to generate steam, may also find their way into byproducts that are fed to livestock, and would also need to be assessed by CFIA if not already approved.

Pre-market assessment and authorization from CFIA’s feed program would also be needed for any plant products considered to be “novel feeds,” such as genetically modified crops — which may also trigger regulation such as under the Seeds Act or Food and Drugs Act.

Among other potential contaminants, sulphur and sodium can be found in elevated levels in distillers’ grain and phosphorous may also concentrate in distillers’ grain corn. “It may be necessary to require label guarantees for maximum per cent sodium, maximum per cent sulphur and maximum per cent phosphorus” in biofuel grains used for feed, CFIA wrote.

Also, while distillers’ grains can be “significant” sources of energy, protein and some mineral nutrients, “it also appears that the levels of these nutrients can vary significantly” with the process and grains used, CFIA wrote.

“Given these considerations, it would appear that guarantees for minimum per cent crude fat and crude protein, and maximum per cent phosphorus would provide useful information to users in formulating rations to obtain desired results.”

CFIA also noted that ethanol plants have a responsibility to monitor their distillers’ grain for harmful mycotoxins that can be present in diseased wheat and corn, if the byproduct is to be used for feed.

“Failure to detect mycotoxins in (distillers’ grain, or DG) produced at an individual facility in the past does not mean that they may not be present in DG produced in the future,” CFIA wrote. “Mycotoxin levels in the grains used to produce DG are strongly influenced by climate and storage conditions and will vary from year to year and lot to lot.”