. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/USA/845 
23 January 2004 
 (04-0222) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
NOTIFICATION  
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   UNITED STATES
 
If applicable, name of local government involved: 
2. Agency responsible:   US Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item numbe r(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where 
applicable):  Beef products 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:  All 
trading partners 
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:   Meat Produced by 
Advanced Meat/Bone Se paration Machinery and Meat Re covery (AMR) Systems (Docket 
No. 03-038IF) (Available in English, 67 pages) 
6. Description of content:  The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing this 
interim final rule on meat produced by adva nced meat recovery (AMR) systems as a 
prophylactic measure designed, in part, to prev ent human exposure to the Bovine Spongiform 
Encephalopathy (BSE) agent.  The purpose of th is measure is to ensure that AMR systems 
are not a means of introducing central nervous sy stem tissue into product labeled as "meat".  
In addition to the measures related to BSE, FS IS is finalizing restri ctions related to bone 
solids and bone marrow for livestock products.  Th is rule articulates th e criteria that FSIS 
will use to ensure that AMR products can be represented as "m eat" and thus are not 
adulterated or misbranded.  Finally, the Agen cy is requiring that Federally inspected  
establishments that  process the carcasses or pa rts of cattle develop, implement, and maintain 
written procedures for the removal, segregati on, and disposition of sp ecified risk materials 
(SRMs), including non-complying product from be ef AMR systems.  Establishments must 
incorporate these procedures into their HACCP plans or in their Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) or other prerequi site program.  Exporting countries will be 
required to adopt these or equivalent m easures when producing beef products in 
establishments certified for export to the United States.  FSI S is issuing this document as an 
interim final rule because of the discovery of a BSE-positive cow in the United States. 
7. Objective and rationale:  [ X ] food safety, [   ] animal health, [   ] plant protection, 
[ X ] protect humans from anima l/plant pest or disease,  [   ]  protect territory from 
other damage from pests 
8. International standard, guideline or recommendation:  
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission, [ X ] World Organization for Animal Health, 
[   ] International Plant Protection Convention, [   ] None  
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate 
reference and briefly identify deviations:  OIE/TAHC Chapter 2.3.13 G/SPS/N/USA/845 
Page 2  
 
 9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  Accessible for 
comment at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FRPubs/03-038IF.htm
 
10. Proposed date of adoption:   12 January 2004 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:   12 January 2004 
12. Final date for comments:  12 April 2004 
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [   ] National notification 
authority, [   ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if 
available) of other body:   Address comments to:  FSIS Docket Clerk, Docket 03-025IF, 
Room 102 Cotton Annex, 300 12th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-3700, United 
States 
13. Texts available from:  [ X ] National notification authority, [ X ] National enquiry point, 
or address, fax number and E-mail add ress (if available) of other body:  Ms. Julie 
Morin, US Department of Agriculture, Stop 1027, Washington, DC  20250.  Tel:  (202) 720-4051, Fax:  (202) 690-0677, E-mail:  julie.morin@fas.usda.gov