. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
G/SPS/N/USA/2464 
24 September 2012  
 (12-5118) 
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:  US Departement 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 
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:  Risk-Based Sampling of Beef Manufacturing Trimmings 
for Escherichia coli  (E. coli ) O157:H7 and Plans for Beef Baseline   Language(s):  English  
Number of pages:  4 
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-09-19/html/2012-23078.htm  
6. Description of content:  FSIS is announcing its intention to redesign its E. coli  O157:H7 
verification testing program for beef manufact uring trimmings to ma ke the program more 
risk-based and to enable the Ag ency to calculate on-going statistical prevalence estimates 
for E. coli  O157:H7 in raw beef manufacturing trimmings.  This notice also discusses 
FSIS's plans to perform a beef carcass baselin e.  FSIS seeks public comment on its plans, 
which have been developed in response to  a 2011 audit by the US Department of 
Agriculture's Office of Inspector General (OIG) of FSIS's protocol for N-60 sampling of 
beef manufacturing trimmings for E. coli  O157:H7.  This notice also announces changes 
that FSIS has made to its beef manufacturing trimmings program to increase both the collection rate and the likelihood that FSIS w ill find positive samples.  Finally, this notice 
summarizes a 2012 OIG report and the actions that FSIS has taken to address the recommendations in that report. 
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.    
8. Is there a relevant international stan dard?  If so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex standard 
or related text)   G/SPS/N/USA/2464 
Page 2  
 
  [ ] 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) :  Not applicable 
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) :  Not applicable 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  [ ] Six months from date of publication , and/or  
(dd/mm/yy) :  To be determined. 
[X] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Final date for comments:  [ ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the notification 
and/or (dd/mm/yy) :  19 November 2012 
Agency or authority designated to handl e comments:  [ ] National Notification 
Authority, [ ] National Enquiry Point.  Address, fax number and e-mail address (if 
available) of other body:  Comments may be submitted by either of the following 
methods:  Federal eRulemaking Portal:  This Web site provides the ability to type short 
comments directly into the comment field on the Web page or attach a file for lengthier comments.  Go to http://www.regulations.gov .  Follow the online instructions at that site 
for submitting comments.  
Mail, including floppy disks or CD-ROMs, and hand- or courier-delivered items:  Send to 
Docket Clerk, US Department of Agriculture (USDA), FSIS, OPPD, RIMD, Docket 
Clearance Unit, Patriots Plaza III, 1400 Inde pendence Avenue SW, 8-163A, Mailstop 3287, 
Washington, DC 20024-3221.  Instructions:  All items submitted by mail or electronic mail 
must include the Agency name and docket number FSIS-2012-0020.  Comments received in response to this docket will be made ava ilable for public inspection and posted without 
change, including any personal information, to http://www.regulations.gov . 
For further information contact:  Rachel Edel stein, Acting Assistant Administrator for the 
Office of Policy and Program Development, FSIS, USDA, Room 351-E, Jamie Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue SW , Washington DC, 20250-3700;  Tel:  +(202) 
720 0399;  Fax:  +(202) 720 2025;  E- mail:  rachel.edelstein@fsis.usda.gov 
13. Texts available from:  [X] National Notification Authority, [ ] National Enquiry Point.  
Address, fax number and e-mail address (if available) of other body:    
United States SPS National Notification Authority, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, 
International Regulations and Standards Di vision (IRSD), Stop 1014, Washington D.C. 
20250;  Tel:  +(1 202) 720 1301;  Fax:  +(1 202) 720 0433;  E-mail:  us.spsenquirypoint@fas.usda.gov