G/SPS/N/USA/2824  
 
9 February 2016  
(16-0845)  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: 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, poultry, egg products, and siluriformes fish 
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: National Residue Program: Monitoring Chemical 
Hazards  Language(s): English  Number of pages: 5 
https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR- 2015-12-29/html/2015-32808.htm  
6. Description of content: The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is clarifying its 
approach within the National Residue Program's (NRP's) Tier 2 exploratory program when it tests tissue samples collected from livestock and poultry carcasses and detects 
chemicals that do not have established tolerances or other regulatory levels. This 
approach applies to potentially hazardous chemicals that are not animal drugs or pesticide chemicals with established tolerances. FSIS also intends to apply this approach 
to egg products should these products be come subject to chemical testing and to 
products from fish of the order Siluriformes  when the final rule to make these species 
amenable to the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) is fully implemented. FSIS requests 
comments on the approach discussed in this document, and on how it can further 
improve its management of environmental contaminants and other chemical hazards in meat and poultry products. 
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 st andard? If so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g. title or serial  n u m b e r  o f  C o d e x  
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?   G/SPS/N/USA/2824 
 
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  [ ] 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 determined. 
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) : To be determined. 
11. Proposed date of entry into force: [ ] Six months from date of publication , 
and/or  (dd/mm/yy) : To be determined. 
[ ] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Final date for comments: [ ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) : 29 February 2016 
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 Website 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, including CD-ROMs:  Send to Docket Clerk, US Department 
of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, Patriots Plaza 3, 1400 Independence 
Avenue SW., Mailstop 3782, Room 8-163A, 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-2015-0002. 
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  Authority, 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