Ask for a CVD to reduce stock feed risk

With summer approaching, it’s important to obtain a Commodity Vendor Declaration (CVD) from suppliers when purchasing livestock feed. 

Livestock Production Assurance (LPA) accredited producers are urged to source feed from suppliers who are willing to vouch for its content by providing a CVD. Completed CVDs should be filed with other farm records.

The CVD communicates food safety risks of introduced feed and it is needed to keep animals safe from chemical contamination or illness. Managing risks associated with introduced stock feed is a key requirement under the LPA program’s Module 3 ‘Fodder crop, grain and pasture treatments and stock foods’.

Purchasing stock feed from suppliers can come with risks, including chemical contamination, weed seeds, restricted animal material, and poor-quality or unsuitable feed for your livestock.

When obtaining fodder or grain from a third party, producers should ensure the supplier completes a CVD so they know exactly what is being fed to their livestock and can guarantee the livestock are residue free.

The receiving LPA-accredited producer then needs to ensure the CVD matches the feed being delivered and that they or their representative signs the CVD.

The single-page CVD form contains details of the commodity’s composition, identifying the chemical(s) used to treat the commodity before or during harvest or in storage, and the rate and date of chemical application. CVDs completed via the National Grower Register (NGR) are also acceptable.

Avoiding exposure to chemicals

Livestock exposed to excessive chemicals are highly likely to contain unacceptable levels of residues at the time of slaughter, compromising food safety and harming the reputation of Australian red meat. To ensure we meet customer expectations, livestock owners must undertake safe stock feed practices, including:

• ensuring livestock are not provided feed or access to pasture that is still in a withholding period after chemical application or otherwise contains unacceptable chemical residues
• keeping records of chemical application on pasture or stored feed and seek CVDs for introduced feed
• storing products that may contain Restricted Animal Material (RAM) or unacceptable chemical residues separate from feed that will be fed to ruminant livestock
• identify and keep records of any livestock that were inadvertently exposed and declare this on outgoing NVDs.

Repercussions for nonconformity may include failure to be paid for the livestock, and possible legal liability for resulting costs faced by processors and the rest of the supply chain.

Commodity Vendor Declarations

In the same way livestock movements must be accompanied by an LPA National Vendor Declaration (NVD) or electronic National Vendor Declaration (eNVD), all introduced stock feeds should be accompanied by a Commodity Vendor Declaration (CVD) to guarantee that the feed purchased is safe from contamination.

The CVD needs to provide details of:

• chemicals used to treat the commodity
• rate and date of chemical application
• relevant WHP/ESI/Export Animal Feed Interval (EAFI) as shown on the chemical label.

It is critical that the receiving LPA-accredited producer ensures the CVD matches the feed being delivered and that they or their representative signs the CVD.

What to do if no CVD is obtained?

Without a CVD, feed must be assessed for risk. This can include:

• applying a 60-day withholding period to the feed before providing it to livestock
• retaining a sample of the feed or testing a sample for chemical residues; or
• if the feed has already been provided to livestock, apply a 60-day withholding period to the animals before they are sent for processing or declare it on the LPA NVD.
  
  

By treating our stock foods, fodder crops, grain and pastures safely and responsibly, we can help ensure livestock and red meat poses no food safety risk to consumers. This is another way of maintaining integrity in Australia’s red meat industry.