United States Agricultural STOP 0254 – Room 2607-S 

Department of Marketing 1400 Independence Avenue, SW. 

Agriculture Service Washington, D.C. 20250-0254 

Instrument Assessment Systems for Livestock Carcasses 

and Carcass Products 

Specifications and Requirements for 

Instrument Implementation and Verification 

BACKGROUND 

The Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), Livestock, and 

Seed (LS) Program will utilize carcass factors and measurements made by approved instruments. 

The LS Program will approve instrument assessment systems that meet specific performance 

requirements for accuracy, precision, and repeatability in the prediction of quality and yield 

factors and grades. Once an instrument has met the accuracy, precision, and repeatability 

requirements, the procedures for implementation, verification and operation of an instrument 

must be approved by the LS Program on a plant-by-plant basis. 

The guidance for this document was based on Section 5.59, “Electronic Livestock, Meat, and 

Poultry Evaluation Systems and/or Devices - Tentative Code,” of the National Institute of 

Standards and Technology Handbook 44 (2008). In turn, Handbook 44 references consensus 

standards established by ASTM committee F10 on Livestock, Meat, and Poultry Evaluation 

Systems, a committee made up of members representing industry associations, packing 

companies, instrument manufacturers, and academia and government agencies. 

PURPOSE AND SCOPE 

This document provides the specifications and requirements for the design, manufacture, 

implementation, operation, and verification of instrument systems. The scope of this document 

encompasses instrument evaluation systems used in assessing quality and yield factors and grades 

of livestock carcasses and carcass products. An establishment must have written procedures and 

verifications that ensure accurate and precise determinations are made by properly calibrated and 

verified instruments that have been approved for carcass factor and grade assessment. 

REFERENCE DOCUMENTS 

1. Electronic Livestock, Meat, and Poultry Evaluation Systems and/or Devices - Tentative

Code. Section 5.59. Specifications, Tolerances, and Other Technical Requirements for

Weighing and Measuring Devices. National Institute of Standards and Technology

Handbook 44, 2008.

2. Standard Practice for User Requirements for Livestock, Meat, and Poultry Evaluation

Devices or Systems. American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) International Standard

F 2341-05.

3. Standard Specification for Design and Construction of Composition or Quality Constituent

Measuring Devices or Systems. ASTM International Standard F 2342-06.

4. Standard Specification for Developing and Validating Prediction Equation(s) or Model(s)

Used in Connection with Livestock, Meat, and Poultry Evaluation Device(s) or System(s) to

Determine Value. ASTM International Standard F 2340-05.

Date Issued: 07/31/2009 Date Revised: Original version Page 1 of 3 
 

Instrument Implementation and Verification 

5. Standard Test Method for Livestock, Meat, and Poultry Evaluation Devices. ASTM 

International Standard F 2343-06. 

6. Standard Terminology for Livestock, Meat, and Poultry Evaluation Systems. ASTM 

International Standard F 2463-06. 

INSTRUMENT DESIGN AND MANUFACTURE 

The design and manufacture of instrument assessment systems for livestock carcasses and carcass 

products shall conform to ASTM International Standard F 2342-06. Any departure or exception 

to the standard specifications of F 2342-06 must be justified in writing and submitted to the LS 

Program for approval. 

The LS Program must be notified prior to implementing any modification of the device, system or 

process that would affect one or more independent variables of a LS Program approved equation 

(see Section 5.2 ASTM International Standard F 2340-05; and, Section 5.3.3 ASTM International 

Standard F 2341-05). 

INSTRUMENT TESTING AND VERIFICATION 

Instrument assessment systems shall be verified and documented for accuracy on each production 

day as specified by ASTM Standard F 2341-05. Testing and testing standards shall conform to 

ASTM International Standard F 2343-06. Standards shall cover each third of the normal 

operating range of the device for the approved quality and yield factor or grade (e.g., ribeye area, 

USDA Yield Grade, and marbling score). 

OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS 

Instrument assessment systems shall be used, operated, inspected, and maintained as described in 

ASTM International Standard F 2341-05. The LS Program shall be provided: 

1. Instrument installation, operator training, operation, verification, inspection and maintenance 

procedures when these processes do not conform to the manufacturer’s requirements; 

2. Documented alternate method in the event of equipment failure; and, 

3. Any system change (hardware or software) prior to implementation. 

Additional requirements that must be addressed include: 

1. Approval by the LS Program of the manufacturer’s manuals and documentation covering 

recommended installation, operator training, operation, verification, inspection and 

maintenance procedures; 

2. A description of the linking of the assessed factor with carcass or carcass products and their 

associated variable values; 

3. Procedure for factor or grade application and/or identification; 

4. A list of essential devices and components of the instrument system including key hardware 

and software components (each essential hardware component shall be identified by a unique 

code); and, 

5. A USDA cyber security evaluation and maintain documentation of this evaluation; and, 

6. If required, procedures for the presentation of carcass and factor data to the grader(s) for 

review, in order for the grader(s) to determine eligibility, to accept or reject the data, and to 

determine the final grade. 

Date Issued: 07/31/2009 Date Revised: Original version Page 2 of 3 
 

Instrument Implementation and Verification 

The documented processes are monitored and validated on a continual basis by LS Program 

personnel. 

Questions or comments shall be submitted to: 

Chief, Standards, Analysis, and Technology Branch 

USDA, AMS, LS 

1400 Independence Avenue, S.W. 

Room 2607 South Building 

Washington, DC 20250-0254 

Phone: (202) 720-4486 

FAX: (202) 720-1112 

Email: Martin.OConnor@usda.gov 

Approved: /S/ MEC 08-04-2009 . 

Martin E. O’Connor, Chief 

Standards, Analysis, and Technology Branch 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, 

disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, 

reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) 

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact 

USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 

1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal 

opportunity provider and employer. 

Date Issued: 07/31/2009 Date Revised: Original version Page 3 of 3