AAFCO details new webinar on hemp use

CHAMPAGNE, ILL. — The Association of American Feed Controls Officials (AAFCO) and the National Industrial Hemp Council of America (NIHC) will host a webinar on August 9. The webinar, titled “Why isn’t hemp in animal feed?” “A National Discussion on Overcoming Challenges and Getting Approval,” will cover hemp and its inclusion in animal feed and pet food.

The free webinar will cover several topics related to hemp in relation to animal feed, including regulatory hurdles and other challenges, solutions and best practices. The “Why Hemp Is Not In Animal Feed” webinar will be divided into three parts:

• “Scientific Research and Data” will be held from 12:15 p.m. to 1:20 p.m. EDT
• “Ingredient Review and Approval” will take place from 1:30 p.m. to 2:35 p.m. EDT
• “Interests and concerns of all” will be held from 2:45 p.m. to 3:50 p.m. EDT

Each part will feature five panelists who will answer questions and moderate discussions. Panelists include:

• Charlotte Conway, Deputy Director of the Animal Feed Ingredients Division at the Center for Veterinary Medicine (FDA-CVM) of the United States Food and Drug Administration
• Massimo Bionar, Ph.D., associate professor of dairy nutrigenomics at Oregon State University
• Rex Newkirk, Ph.D., of the Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance
• Kendall Swanson, Ph.D., professor of animal science at North Dakota State University
• Craig Schluttenhofer, Ph.D., assistant professor of natural products research at Central State University
• Frank Sikora, Director of Laboratories for the University of Kentucky Regulatory Services Division and AAFCO Fellow
• Raj Kasula, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Nutrition Officer of The Wenger Group and Board Director of the Hemp Feed Coalition
• Kathleen May, Chair of Committee D-37 at ASTM International
• Hunter Buffington, Vice President of Policy and Advocacy at Element6 Dynamics and member of the NIHC Government Affairs Committee
• Bill Richmond, Head of the US Domestic Hemp Program at USDA
• Erin Bubb, division chief of agronomic and regional services at the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and past president of the AAFCO
• Jeremy Powers, Strategic Advisor for International Affairs of 357 Hemp Logistics and NIHC Fellow
• Kimberly Guay, Ph.D., Associate Professor at Tarleton University
• Leah Wilkinson, vice president of public policy and education at the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA)
• Dharati Szymanski, Ph.D., associate director of the Division of Animal and Public Health at the American Veterinary Medical Association

Interest in including hemp in commercial pet foods has grown significantly since the passage of the Agricultural Improvement Act, also known as the Farm Bill, in 2018. Although bill has expanded the legal production of hemp, the use of the ingredient in animal feed and pet food remains under the jurisdiction of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the state regulatory agencies.

In February, AAFCO and 17 other industry and regulatory bodies released an open letter calling for further research into hemp-based animal feed products.

Sign up for “Why isn’t hemp in animal feed?” ” online seminar.

Learn more about pet food and treats industry events.