A coalition of industry and regulatory groups recently penned a letter to state agriculture leadership, asking for greater education and scientific research before allowing hemp as an animal feed ingredient.
“We understand the importance of supporting the hemp industry, and yet we also believe it is simply too soon to know whether hemp is safe for farm and ranch animals, as well as for our pets,” the letter read.
The groups expressed concern with introduced legislation that circumvents federal and state oversight, saying it would be imprudent to bypass established procedures to protect human and animal health.
The coalition said it was specifically concerned with animal health and safety, the safety of production animals entering the food chain, and adverse impacts to producers and the feed industry.
“We encourage proponents to continue to assemble data and to work on submitting applications through the established animal feed ingredient review process,” the letter concluded.
