FDA wants US$1.4 billion in US budget for pet food-safety law implementation

The US Food and Drug Administration wants the US government's fiscal 2012 budget to include US$1.4 billion in funds for FDA's food-safety law that guides FDA regulation in cases of pet food contamination, according to Bloomberg.com.
In June, the US House voted to cut FDA’s fiscal 2012 food-safety budget by 10% to US$752 million, which FDA says would slow progress of Food Safety Modernization Act implementation. 
"The funding needs ultimately will grow, not in fiscal 2012 or 2013, but in subsequent years to meet inspection mandates,” said Scott Faber, vice president for federal affairs at the Grocery Manufacturers Association, a trade group of members including petfood manufacturer Nestle. “If the agency doesn’t have more resources further down the road, the FDA won’t be able to retrain its inspectors and fulfill the promise of the food-safety reforms.”