FSIS Constituent Update - June 18, 2004 1 Congressional & Public Affairs Office

Export

Requirement

Updates

The Library of Export

Requirements has been

updated to reflect

changes in export

requirements for the

following countries:

Colombia

Honduras

Hong Kong

Japan

Romania

Serbia

Complete information

can be found at:

www.fsis.usda.gov/OFO/

export/explib.htm

Volume 5, Issue 24

United States Department of Agriculture

Food Safety and Inspection Service

June 18, 2004

Protecting Public Health Through Food Safety

FSIS Constituent Update

FSIS issued notice 35-04 pertaining to the Electronic Animal Disposition

Reporting System (eADRS) on June 15, 2004. Notice 35-04 provides

inspection personnel with clear guidelines on what information is considered

necessary to be recorded in the Humane-handling Activities Tracking (HAT)

section of eADRS. This notice also covers information necessary for

noncompliance records issued for humane handling noncompliance and

guidance for inspectors’ response to serious humane handling violations. Notice,

35-04 is available on FSIS’ Web site, www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/

FSISNotices/35-04.pdf.

Notice Regarding eADRS Issued

to FSIS Employees

FSIS issued notice 33-04, detailing how the compliance and inspection division

will handle sample collection for BSE testing of bovine animals on June 14,

2004. This notice deals specifically with animals that were condemned during

ante-mortem inspection at federally-inspected establishments and then moved

to an off-site sample collection location. These off-site locations are typically

rendering operations, landfills, collection sites, pet food manufacturers and

other non-USDA inspected establishments. The notice details how the sample

will be collected by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service APHIS

service. This protocol will verify that ante-mortem condemned cattle arrive

at the proper locations and that APHIS is aware of the cattle’s arrival.

The complete notice, 33-04, regarding protocol for off-site collection of

samples for BSE testing is available on FSIS’ Web site, www.fsis.usda.gov/

OPPDE/rdad/FSISNotices/33-04.pdf.

Protocol For Off-Site Collection

Of Samples For BSE Testing

Now Available
 FSIS Constituent Update -June 18, 2004 2 Congressional & Public Affairs Office

THIS

WEEK’S

HOT WEB

 LINKS

Certifying Meat &

Poultry Products

for Export

www.fsis.usda.gov/

regulations_&_policies/

Certifying_a_Shipment/

index.asp

Risk Assessments

www.fsis.usda.gov/

Science/

Risk_Assessments/

index.asp

The 27th session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission will take place at

the International Conference Center in Geneva, Switzerland from June 28-

July 3, 2004. The U.S. Codex Office held a public meeting in preparation

for the session. This meeting will provide draft U.S. positions on items of

the provisional agenda and opportunities for public comment.

Items on the agenda include matters related to the Codex Procedural

Manual, preliminary and final adoption of Codex Standards and related

texts and program and budgetary matters. Other agenda items include the

Joint FAO/WHO Evaluation of Codex, the Trust Fund for Enhanced

Participation in Codex and the relations between Codex and other

international organizations.

The agenda items and more information for the Geneva, Switzerland

meeting can be found at: www.codexalimentarius.net/codex/

codex27_en.htm

Reminder: Upcoming Codex

Meeting

FSIS Seeks Comments on

Upcoming New Technology

Web Site

FSIS is seeking comments on a proposed plan to post information that

concerns the use of new technologies in the production of meat, poultry,

and egg products on its Web site. The posted information will focus on

new technologies currently under review, or that have already been

reviewed, by the agency. Comments are being sought specifically

regarding the value to the public, potential costs and negative effects

that this information would have if made available to the public.

All submissions received must include the agency name and docket number

04-003N and be received by July 19, 2004. Comments may be submitted

to Docket Clerk, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and

Inspection Service, 300 12th Street, SW., Room 102 Cotton Annex,

Washington, DC 20250 or through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at

www.regulations.gov.

The notice in its entirety is available on FSIS’ Web site, www.fsis.usda.gov/

OPPDE/rdad/FRPubs/04-003N.htm.
FSIS Constituent Update - June 18, 2004 3 Congressional & Public Affairs Office

Featured

Office of

the Week

Labor

&

Employee

Relations Division

E. coli O157:H7 Workshops

Scheduled for June

FSIS is holding a series of teaching workshops, through September 2004,

around the nation for small and very small plants on new directives designed

to strengthen E. coli O157:H7 prevention procedures. The workshops are

scheduled on Saturdays from 9 am to 2 pm. They will present the materials in

the directives to operators of small and very small federally-inspected plants,

state-inspected plants, federal and state inspection personnel, members of

academia and other interested parties. The three FSIS directives to be covered

during the sessions are: Directive 10,010.1 Revision 1, Microbiological Testing

Program and Other Verification Activities for Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Raw

Ground Beef Products and Raw Ground Beef Components and Beef Patty

Components; Directive 6420.0, Verification of Procedures for Controlling

Fecal Material, Ingesta, and Milk in Slaughter Operations; and Directive

5000.2, Review of Establishment Data by Inspection Program Personnel.

The following workshops are scheduled for June:

June 19 The St. Anthony

 300 East Travis

San Antonio, Texas

 (210) 227 – 4392

June 26 Renaissance Boulder Suites Hotel

 500 Flatiron Blvd.

Broomfield, Colo.

 (303) 464 - 8400

To pre-register for the workshop in San Antonio, Texas, please call (202) 690-

6520 or e-mail renee.ellis@fsis.usda.gov. You may also register for this

workshop, and all future workshops by calling (866) 553-3052 or via FSIS’

Web site: www.fsis.usda.gov/News/Meetings_&_Events/

The Labor and Employee

Relations Division’s (LERD)

mission is to prevent and

correct conduct and

performance problems that

can significantly interfere

with the agencies vital Public

Health Goals. To accomplish

this important task LERD

provides vital leadership and

helpful advice to managers

handling labor relation issues.

LERD is also dedicated to

promoting and enhancing

relations with the National

Joint Council of Food

Inspection Locals and other

employee organizations.

To Contact the Constituent Update Editor

Crystal Straughn crystal.straughn@fsis.usda.gov (202) 720-9113