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Other reports
contradict Phillips and Bisplinghoff's beliefs
that it is uneconomical to render pets. It all
depends on how many surplus pet animals there are.
In 1996, Earth Island Journal reported that a
small rendering plant in Quebec (possibly Sanimal)
rendered 10 tons (22,000 pounds) of dogs and cats
per week from Ontario; the fur was not removed and
the carcasses were cooked at 115 Celsius (235 Fahrenheit) for 20 minutes. There must, therefore,
be some economical incentive to process dead pets
and road kill. Eileen Layne of the CVMA (Canada)
said that when the public read pet food labels
saying "meat and bone meal", what it
really means is "cooked and converted
animals, including some dogs and cats."
Protein derived from pets and road kill is hidden
as "meat meal", "meat
by-products" or simply "animal
protein".
One large pet food
company in the U.S., with extensive research
facilities, allegedly used rendered dogs and cats
in their foods for years. When the public became
aware of this, the company apparently pleaded
ignorance. The US Food and Drug Administration, Center
for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) is aware of
the use of rendered dogs and cats in pet foods and
stated that they neither prohibit not condone the
practice.
The Earth Island
Journal reported that Baltimore's "Valley
Proteins" rendering plant processed dead dogs
and cats and road kill alongside livestock and
horses, producing a dry protein product to be sold
in the pet food industry. Baltimore's animal pound
disposed of more than 21,888 dead animals (approx
1800 per month) to Valley Proteins. Valley Protein
was reported to have two production lines - one
for "clean" meat and bones and a
separate one for dead pets, road kill and suchlike.
The final protein material was a mix from both
production lines which means that rendered pets
could potentially be sold to manufacturers of dry
pet-food.
Valley Proteins
confirmed that their Baltimore plant processed
pets euthanized by vets, animal control officials,
humane societies, animal shelters etc. Domestic
pets represented less than 0.5% of the plant's
annual business. In a 12 month period, one pet
food producer purchased approximately 10 tons of
rendered protein from the Baltimore plant on 3
different occasions. This represented less than
0.5% of the total Baltimore Meat Meal production,
meaning that approximately 300 pounds of animal
protein containing by-products from cats and dogs
ended up as cat and dog food. Apart from those 3
instances, the pet food manufacturer was supplied
by other Valley Proteins plants which rendered
poultry by-products.
Conclusions
Depending on which
country you live in and how strongly it regulates
the pet food industry (if you have a pet food
industry), the contents of pet food will be a far
cry from the appetizing picture in the advert.
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