. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
G/SPS/N/USA/2248 
26 July 2011  
 (11-3793) 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
1. Notifying Member:  UNITED STATES 
If applicable, name of local government involved:    
2. Agency responsible:  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):  Meat and poultry at slaughter facilities 
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:  Salmonella Verification Samp ling Program:  Response to 
Comments on New Agency Policies and Clarification of Timeline for the Salmonella Initiative Program (SIP)  Language(s):  English  Number of pages:  6 
 http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FRPubs/2008-0008.pdf  
6. Description of content:  The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is responding to 
comments on a 28 January 2008 Federal Register notice (73 FR 4767-4774), which 
described upcoming policy changes in the FSIS Salmonella Verification Program and 
outlined a new voluntary Salmonella Initiativ e Program (SIP) for meat and poultry 
slaughter establishments that agree to share in ternal food safety data with FSIS in order to 
receive waivers of regulatory requirements.  SI P benefits public health in that it encourages 
slaughter establishments to test for micr obial pathogens and to respond to the ongoing 
results by taking steps when necessary to regain  process control and thus to minimize the 
presence of pathogens of public health concern. 
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)   
[ ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g. Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number)    
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g. ISPM number)    G/SPS/N/USA/2248 
Page 2  
 
  [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) :  10 November 2011 
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) :  10 November 2011 
[ ] Trade facilitating measure  Not applicable  
12. Final date for comments:  [ ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the notification 
and/or (dd/mm/yy) :  12 September 2011 
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:   
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 Regulations.Gov at http://www.regulations.gov/  and 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 Agricu lture (USDA), FSIS, Room 2-2127, George 
Washington Carver Center, 5601 Sunnyside Avenue, Mailstop 5474,  Beltsville, MD 20705-
5474. 
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 Fore ign Agricultural Service, International 
Regulations and Standards Division (IRSD), Stop 1027, Washington D.C. 20250;  Tel:  +(1 202) 720 1301;  Fax:  +(1 202) 720 0433;  E-mail:  us.s psenquirypoint@fas.usda.gov