31549 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 129 / Friday, July 7, 2017 / Notices 
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
Food Safety and Inspection Service 
[Docket No. FSIS–2017–0020] 
Availability of FSIS Guidance for 
Importing Meat, Poultry, and Egg Products Into the United States 
AGENCY : Food Safety and Inspection 
Service, USDA. 
ACTION : Notice of availability and 
request for comments. 
SUMMARY : The Food Safety and 
Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing the availability of and requesting comment on guidance for importing meat, poultry, and egg products into the United States. This guidance is intended to help U.S. importers, customs brokers, official import inspection establishments, egg products plants, and other interested parties understand and comply with FSIS import requirements. 
DATES : Submit comments on or before 
September 5, 2017. 
ADDRESSES : A downloadable version of 
the guidance is available to view and print at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/ Regulations_ &_Policies/Compliance_
Guides_ Index/index.asp. No hard 
copies of the compliance guideline have been published. 
FSIS invites interested persons to 
submit comments on issues discussed and outlined in this notice. Only comments addressing the scope of this notice will be considered. 
Comments may be submitted by one 
of the following methods: 
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, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, Patriots Plaza 3, 1400 Independence Avenue 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– 2017–0020. 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 : 
Roberta Wagner, Assistant Administrator, Office of Policy and Program Development; Telephone: (202) 205–0495, or by Fax: (202) 720–2025. 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION : 
Background 
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 
(USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is the public health regulatory agency responsible for ensuring that domestic and imported meat, poultry, and egg products are safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged. FSIS inspects imported meat, poultry, and egg products under the authority of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) and the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA) (21 U.S.C. 451 et seq.), and the Egg Products Inspection Act (EPIA) (15 U.S.C. 1031 et seq.). Imported meat, poultry, and egg products must originate from eligible countries and from establishments or plants that are certified to export to the United States (21 U.S.C. 620, 466 and 1046). A country becomes eligible following an equivalence determination process completed by FSIS in coordination with the country’s central competent authority (CCA). Foreign establishments or plants become eligible when the CCA certifies to FSIS that the establishments or plants meet requirements that are equivalent to FSIS requirements. All imported shipments of meat, poultry, and egg products must be presented to FSIS for inspection, with certain exceptions, as detailed in the guidance (e.g., meat, poultry, or dried egg 
products shipment that does not exceed 50 pounds, for personal consumption only). This guidance summarizes existing requirements and best practices for complying with those requirements. FSIS encourages interested parties (e.g., U.S. importers, brokers, official import inspection establishments, and egg products plants) to follow this guidance. This guidance represents current FSIS thinking, and FSIS will update it as necessary to reflect comments received and any additional information that becomes available. FSIS is seeking comments on this guidance as part of its efforts to continuously assess and improve the effectiveness of policy documents. USDA Nondiscrimination Statement 
No agency, officer, or employee of the 
USDA shall, on the grounds of race, 
color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/ parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, or political beliefs, exclude from participation in, deny the benefits of, or subject to discrimination any person in the United States under any program or activity conducted by the USDA. 
To file a complaint of discrimination, 
complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, which may be accessed online at http://www.ocio.usda.gov/sites/default/files/ docs/2012/Complain_ combined_ 6_8_
12.pdf, or write a letter signed by you 
or your authorized representative. 
Send your completed complaint form 
or letter to USDA by mail, fax, or email: 
Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 
Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250–9410. 
Fax: (202) 690–7442. 
Email: program.intake@usda.gov. 
Persons with disabilities who require 
alternative means for communication (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and TDD). 
Additional Public Notification 
FSIS will announce this notice online 
through the FSIS Web page located at 
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/federal- register. 
FSIS will also make copies of this 
Federal Register publication available through the FSIS Constituent Update, which is used to provide information regarding FSIS policies, procedures, regulations, Federal Register notices, 
FSIS public meetings, and other types of information that could affect or would be of interest to constituents and stakeholders. The Update is communicated via Listserv, a free electronic mail subscription service for industry, trade groups, consumer interest groups, health professionals, and other individuals who have asked 
to be included. The Update is also available on the FSIS Web page. In addition, FSIS offers an electronic mail subscription service which provides automatic and customized access to selected food safety news and information. This service is available at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/subscribe. Options range from recalls to export information to regulations, directives, and notices. Customers can add or delete subscriptions themselves, and have the option to password protect their accounts. 
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Done at Washington, DC, on: July 3, 2017. 
Alfred V. Almanza, 
Administrator. 
[FR Doc. 2017–14287 Filed 7–6–17; 8:45 am] 
BILLING CODE 3410–DM–P 
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
Grain Inspection, Packers and 
Stockyards Administration 
United States Standards for Lentils 
AGENCY : Grain Inspection, Packers and 
Stockyards Administration, USDA. 
ACTION : Final Notice. 
SUMMARY : This action is being taken 
under the authority of the Agricultural 
Marketing Act of 1946, as amended, (AMA). The Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) is revising the United States Standards for Lentils to establish an additional grading factor, definition, grade requirements, and visual reference images for ‘‘wrinkled lentils,’’ and establish a special grade, definition, special grade requirements, designation, and visual reference images for ‘‘green lentils.’’ GIPSA believes these revisions will improve the application of standards and facilitate the marketing of lentils. 
DATES : Effective Date: August 1, 2017. 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT : 
Beverly A. Whalen at USDA, GIPSA, FGIS, 10383 N. Ambassador Drive, Kansas City, Missouri 64153; Telephone (816) 659–8410; Fax Number (816) 872– 1258; email Beverly.A.Whalen@usda.gov. 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION : Section 
203(c) of the AMA (7 U.S.C. § 1622(c)), directs and authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture ‘‘To develop and improve standards of quality, condition, quantity, grade, and packaging and recommend and demonstrate such standards in order to encourage uniformity and consistency in commercial practices.’’ GIPSA is committed to carrying out this authority in a manner that facilitates the marketing of agricultural commodities. 
Under the AMA, GIPSA establishes 
and maintains standards for graded commodities including rice, whole dry peas, split peas, feed peas, lentils, and beans. The AMA standards are voluntary and widely used in private contracts, government procurement, marketing communication, and/or 
consumer information. The standards serve as a common trading language to define commodity quality in the domestic and global marketplace. 
Background 
GIPSA engages in regular outreach 
with stakeholders to ensure commodity 
standards maintain relevance with the modern market. Lentil industry stakeholders include the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council (USADPLC), a 
national organization of producers, processors, and exporters of U.S. dry peas, lentils, and chickpeas; the U.S. Dry Pea and Lentil Trade Association (USPLTA), a national association representing processors, traders, handlers and merchandisers, and transporters in the pea, lentil and chickpea industry; and, other handlers and merchandisers. 
The United States Standards for 
Lentils are available on GIPSA’s public Web site at: https://www.gipsa.usda.gov/fgis/standards/ lentils.pdf. USADPLC and USPLTA 
reviewed the United States Standards for Lentils, which were last revised in 2008. The review resulted in those stakeholders jointly recommending that GIPSA revise the standards based on changing market trends. Specifically, these groups asked GIPSA to (1) establish a new grading factor of ‘‘wrinkled lentils,’’ and (2) establish a new special grade of ‘‘green lentils.’’ 
GIPSA provides official inspection 
procedures for lentils in the Pea and Lentil Handbook, which is available on GIPSA’s public Web site at: http://www.gipsa.usda.gov/Publications/fgis/ handbooks/pealentil_ insphb.html. 
Establishment of Grading Factor ‘‘Wrinkled Lentils’’ 
USADPLC and USPLTA reported on a 
trend of an increasing percentage of fully developed lentils that possess a wrinkled seed coat. These lentils do not meet the definition for immature lentils. Under the current United States Standards for Lentils, these lentils would grade U.S. #1; however, the wrinkled appearance is considered undesirable. The stakeholders jointly recommended that GIPSA establish a new grade determining factor ‘‘wrinkled lentil,’’ and also recommended factor limits for grades No’s. 1, 2, and 3. GIPSA and the stakeholders worked collaboratively to develop a visual reference image that best reflects the ‘‘wrinkled lentil’’ condition. Additionally, stakeholders endorsed the following definition: Wrinkled lentils are sound lentils that are substantially wrinkled on at least 50 percent of one side. 
Establishment of Special Grade ‘‘Green 
Lentils’’ 
The USPLTA Grades Committee 
members recommended that GIPSA establish a special grade, ‘‘green lentils.’’ Lentil stakeholders concurred on the need for a special grade to distinguish a desirable aesthetic feature. GIPSA and the stakeholders worked collaboratively to develop a visual reference image that best reflects the ‘‘green lentils’’ condition. Additionally, stakeholders endorsed the following definition: Green lentils are clear seeded 
(non-mottled) and possess a natural, uniformly green color. 
Comment Review 
GIPSA published a Notice in the 
Federal Register on May 15, 2017 (82 
FR 22305), inviting interested parties to comment on the proposed revisions to the United States Standards for Lentils. Two comments were received from industry associations, supporting the proposed revisions. No adverse comments were received. Accordingly, the lentil standards are being revised as proposed in the May 15, 2017, notice. GIPSA believes that these revisions will facilitate use of the standards and better reflect current marketing practices. The revisions to the standards become effective August 1, 2017, and the Pea and Lentil Handbook will be revised to incorporate the revisions to the standards. 
Final Action 
GIPSA is revising the lentil standards 
to (1) establish a new grading factor, 
definition, factor limits, and visual reference image for wrinkled lentils; and (2) establish a special grade, definition, designation, and visual reference image for green lentils. Accordingly, the following sections of the United States Standards for Lentils under the AMA are amended: Section 601, Definitions, is amended to include the following definition: Wrinkled lentils are sound 
lentils that are substantially wrinkled on at least 50% of one side. Section 607, Grades and grade requirements for dockage-free lentils, is amended as follows: 
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