I did some research online about Merrick, the founder of Merrick Pet Care, Garth Merrick, owns Nutri-feeds Inc, Tejas Industries, Hereford Bi-Products Inc. which does rendering.

You can google him and easily found these information.

I also found some info online, Garth Merrick disagree with the FDA for their prohibition of using downed cattle in animal feeds (including pet food).

Apparently Garth Merrick wrote a letter to FDA to protest about the rule of prohibition of the use of dead / desease cattle.

Merric’s Letter to FDA could be found here
www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dailys/04/aug04/081304/04n-0264-c00034-vol7.pdf

I copied the first half of the letter here for you all to read.

“ANPR’s proposed rule to prohibit SRM’s from all animal food including pet food and prohibiting materials from non ambulatory cattle and dead stock from all animal feed creates the below listed consequences of disposal of pounds that previously could be manufactured into animal feed. These numbers are for Texas, primarily, but since our service area includes parts of Oklahoma, New Mexico and Kansas, those areas will have consequences as well. SRM’s in cattle under 30 months of age have been estimated to be 20 pounds per head. In Texas there are four packing houses processing approximately 100,000 head per week times 20 pounds equals 2,000,000 times 52 weeks equals 104,000,000 of product that no one has discussed what to do with. Also, in Texas, there are approximately 18,000 head of cows over 30 months of age slaughtered weekly at four packing plants which have approximately 60 pounds per head of SRM material equals 1,080,000 per week equals 56,160,000 pounds per year. Our company services mostly Texas and parts of New Mexico, Oklahoma and Kansas. Last year we processed 255,000 head of dead stock not counting calves with an average weight of 600 pounds per carcass. The total weight comes to 153,000.000 pounds that makes its way into feed ingredients. If you total these three categories, they total over 300,000,000 pounds that no one is discussing what to do with. If you cannot render it for feed to be fed to chickens, swine or pet food, then you have destroyed a system that currently works. We are the original recyclers. These numbers are only for Texas; when you consider the other lower 47 states, the consequences are inconceivable as to what the health hazards could be if these products are not processed the way they are currently being done. There is not a cost to local, state or federal agencies now, but if these proposed rules are adopted, then someone else will have to step in and I fear, they will not be as efficient or cost effective as what private industry is doing now. There are huge consequences to be reckoned with and these consequences have to do with an effective way to dispose of these billions of pounds which are currently processed in an environmentally friendly way.”

After reading this, i’d never never feed Merrick, this guy is only concered about being “efficient” and “cost effective” and want to include diseased cattle in animal feed (including pet food)