The New Mexico State Department of Agriculture (NMDA) regulates commercial animal feed including livestock feed, poultry feed, fish feed and pet food at the state level through the New Mexico Commercial Feed Law (76-19 Sections 1-14 NMSA 1978) and associated regulations.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates animal feed at the federal level.

For consumer protection NMDA ensures that feed products meet the guaranteed analysis stated on their label by conducting periodic product sampling at farm/ranch, retail, and manufacturing establishments. Some commercial medicated animal feed mills are also licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine. All feed mills are subject to random sampling by NMDA of finished feed and feed components to verify their safety and that they meet their guaranteed analyses.

For animal and human health protection NMDA conducts inspections at feed manufacturing, warehousing, transport, sales, distribution, and animal production facilities to assure compliance with state and federal feed safety and labeling regulations.  NMDA conducts inspections for compliance with the BSE (Mad Cow Disease) Rule as federal inspections under contract with FDA.