The American Feed Industry Association urged Congress to pass the PURR Act, which would modernize animal food regulation by reducing state-by-state labeling requirements and streamlining FDA review processes for novel feed ingredients to strengthen U.S. industry competitiveness.
- AFIA members met with 45 congressional offices to advocate for feed industry priorities including the PURR Act and Innovative FEED Act
- The PURR Act language (included in H.R. 8646) aims to eliminate the patchwork of state-by-state product label review requirements
- The Innovative FEED Act (S. 1906/H.R. 2203) would modernize FDA's review process for novel animal food ingredients with nonnutritive benefits
- AFIA highlighted concerns about heavy U.S. reliance on China for critical vitamins and amino acids affecting animal and human food supplies
- Committee members brought firsthand industry experience to Capitol Hill to demonstrate how federal policies impact manufacturers, suppliers, and customers
The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) hosted 34 members of its Aquaculture, Pet Food, Equine and Global Affairs committees in Washington last week for committee meetings and visits to Capitol Hill. Members met with 45 congressional offices to explain how federal policies affect animal food manufacturers, suppliers and their customers.
"Our committee members bring firsthand experience to conversations about how policy decisions affect the animal food industry," said Leah Wilkinson, AFIA's chief policy officer. "By meeting directly with lawmakers, they make the personalized case for policies that support innovation, strengthen supplies of essential ingredients and keep the U.S. animal food industry competitive."
Members urged lawmakers to advance feed innovation, supply chain resilience and U.S. agricultural competitiveness. One priority is passage of the Innovative Feed Enhancement and Economic Development Act, or Innovative FEED Act (S. 1906/H.R. 2203), which is included in the Senate farm bill. The legislation would modernize the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) review process for certain novel animal food ingredients by allowing the agency to use its existing food additive petition process to review ingredients that provide nonnutritive benefits, such as improved animal health, enhanced food safety or reduced environmental impact.
Members advocate for PURR Act
Members also advocated for passage of language from the Pet Food Uniform Regulatory Reform Act of 2025, known as the PURR Act, that is included in H.R. 8646, the fiscal year 2027 agriculture appropriations bill. The PURR Act language aims to modernize and streamline animal food regulation by reducing the current patchwork of state-by-state requirements for product label reviews.
Members also discussed ways to reduce U.S. reliance on China for critical vitamins and amino acids, an issue highlighted in a November 2025 strategic assessment from the Institute for Feed Education and Research. The report found that critical nutrients affecting the animal food, animal protein and human food supplies are overwhelmingly concentrated in one region.
In addition to the Capitol Hill visits, AFIA members met in their respective committees to receive association updates and discuss current and emerging issues affecting their sectors.
