Summary for Farmers

Feeding of ruminant protein to ruminants is banned

The Biosecurity (Ruminant Protein) Regulations 1999 ban the feeding of ruminant protein in any form to ruminant animals (Ruminantia) to protect New Zealand’s BSE free status.

Examples of ruminant animals are cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats, deer, buffaloes. The regulations do not ban the feeding of ruminant protein to monogastric animals such as pigs and poultry.

Ruminant protein includes meat & bone meal, meat meal, bone meal, blood meal, and blood & bone meal. It does not include milk and milk products.

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE, is a brain disease of cattle that results in the loss of control of the legs, trembling, wide-eyed staring, swaying of the head and erratic behaviour – hence the term ‘mad cow disease’, which is BSE’s common name. This disease is spread by the consumption of feed ingredients derived from BSE-infected cattle. The brain of a single BSE-infected cow can potentially spread the disease to 5000 other cows.

BSE would have significant impact on New Zealand’s economy because of market restrictions that other countries would likely impose on our animal product exports. Even though we are free from BSE, excluding ruminant protein in the feed of ruminant animals is an important requirement for exporting our dairy and meat products.

The Regulations require that:

  • You do not feed ruminant protein to cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats, deer, or any other ruminant animals. All feed sold will display the following label if it contains or may contain ruminant protein:

NOTICE: DO NOT FEED TO SHEEP, CATTLE, DEER, GOATS, BUFFALOES, OR OTHER RUMINANT ANIMALS. THIS PRODUCT CONTAINS OR MAY CONTAIN RUMINANT PROTEIN.

  • You do not add anything containing ruminant protein in your silage.
  • You may allow your ruminant animals to graze on pasture or crops from land where waste water from plants processing or rendering ruminant material has been irrigated if:
    • The waste water has been screened to the extent that it would be suitable for spray irrigation prior to its release; and
    • There is no visible evidence of the waste water (or any residues from the wastewater) on the crop or pasture.
  • You have a registered Ruminant Protein Control Programme if you mix feed for ruminant animals and also store or use ruminant protein on your property for other purposes, such as for preparing feed for monogastric animals. Additionally, a feed supplier who produces feed that may be fed lawfully to ruminants must, at all stages during the feed production process, produce the feed using only dedicated equipment.

For more information about Ruminant Protein Control Programme please contact Biosecurity New Zealand.

Feeding ruminant protein to cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats, deer, buffaloes, and other ruminant animals is punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 for individuals and $15,000 for corporations.

Page last updated: 8 June 2011