G/SPS/N/USA/2728
30 January 2015 
(15-0682)  Page: 1/2
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English
 
  NOTIFICATION 
1. Notifying Member: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 
If applicable, name of local government involved:   
2. Agency responsible: Department of Agriculture, Food  Safety and Inspection Service 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item  number(s) as specified in national 
schedules deposited with the WTO; IC S numbers should be provided in 
addition, where applicable): Meat and poultry 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected , to the extent relevant or practicable: 
[X] All trading partners   
[ ] Specific regions or countries:   
5. Title of the notified document: Changes to the Salmonella and Campylobacter 
Verification Testing Program: Proposed Performance Standards for Salmonella and Campylobacter in Not-Ready-to-Eat  Comminuted Chicken and Turkey 
Products and Raw Chicken Parts and Related Agency Verification  
Procedures and Other Changes to Agency Sampling  Language(s): English  Number of 
pages: 11 
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/ connect/b711839a-c 0b9-420f-9d74-
8568310a1352/2014-0023.htm?MOD=AJPERES  
6. Description of content: The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing 
and requesting comment on new pathogen reduction performance standards for 
Salmonella and Campylobacter in raw chicken parts and not-ready-to-eat (NRTE) comminuted chicken and turkey products. The Agency is also announcing its plans to 
begin sampling raw chicken parts to gain additional information on the prevalence and 
the microbiological characteristics of Salmonella and Campylobacter in those products. In addition, FSIS intends to begin an exploratory sampling of raw pork products for pathogens of public health concern, as well as for indicator organisms. Finally, FSIS is 
announcing that it plans to use routine sampling throughout the year rather than 
infrequently sampling on consecutive days to assess whether establishments' processes are effectively addressing Salmonella and, where applicable, Campylobacter on poultry 
carcasses and other products derived from these carcasses, including chicken parts and 
comminuted chicken and turkey product. FSIS  intends to perform this assessment using 
a moving window of sampling results. FSIS will proceed with implementing the routine 
sampling of raw chicken parts and the changes to specified verification procedures on 
the dates announced in this notice. However, FSIS is seeking comments on its implementation strategy as part of its effort to continuously assess and improve the effectiveness of Agency policy. 
7. Objective and rationale: [X] food safety, [ ] animal health, [ ] plant protection, 
[ ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [ ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests.   G/SPS/N/USA/2728 
 
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  8. Is there a relevant international st andard? If so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex 
standard or related text)   
[ ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g. Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number)    
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g. ISPM number)    
[X] None 
Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?   
[ ] Yes   [ ] No 
If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard:   
9. Other relevant documents and language (s) in which these are available:     
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) : To be announced. 
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) : To be announced. 
11. Proposed date of entry into force: [ ] Six months from date of publication , 
and/or  (dd/mm/yy) : To be announced. 
[ ] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Final date for comments: [ ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) : 27 March 2015 
Agency or authority designated to hand le comments: [ ] National Notification 
Authority, [ ] National Enquiry Point.  Address, fax number and e-mail address 
(if available) of other body:  
Federal eRulemaking Portal: This Web site provides the ability to type short comments 
directly into the comment field on this Web page or attach a file for lengthier comments. Go to http://www.regulations.gov/ . Follow the on-line instructions at that site for 
submitting comments.  
Mail, CD-ROMs: Send to Docket Clerk, US Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and 
Inspection Service, Patriots Plaza 3, 355 E Street SW., Mailstop 3782, Room 8-163B, 
Washington, DC 20250-3700. Hand- or courier-delivered submittals: Deliver to Patriots 
Plaza 3, 355 E Street SW., Room 8-163A, Washington, DC 20250-3700. 
Instructions: All items submitted by mail or electronic mail must include the Agency 
name and docket number FSIS-2014-0023. Comments received in response to this 
docket will be made available for public inspection and posted without change, including 
any personal information, to http://www.regulations.gov . 
Docket: For access to background documents or to comments received, go to the FSIS 
Docket Room at Patriots Plaza 3, 355 E Street SW., Room 164-A, Washington, 
DC 20250-3700 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. 
For further information contact: Daniel L. Engeljohn, Ph.D., Assistant Administrator, 
Office of Policy and Program Development; Tel: +(202) 205 0495, or by Fax: +(202) 
720 2025 
13. Text(s) available from: [X] National Notifi cation Authority, [ ] National Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax number and e-mail address (if available) of other body:   
United States SPS National Notification Auth ority, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, 
International Regulations and Standards Division (IRSD), Stop 1014, Washington D.C. 
20250; Tel: +(1 202) 720 1301; Fax: +(1 202) 720 0433; E-mail: 
us.spsenquirypoint@fas.usda.gov