This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains documents other than rules or

proposed rules that are applicable to the

public. Notices of hearings and investigations,

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rulings, delegations of authority, filing of

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section.

Notices Federal Register

12974 

Vol. 80, No. 48 

Thursday, March 12, 2015 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Food Safety and Inspection Service 

RIN 0583–AD39 

[Docket Number FSIS–2015–0006] 

Effective Date for Foreign Inspection 

Certificate Requirements 

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection 

Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Food Safety and 

Inspection Service (FSIS) is extending 

the effective date for foreign inspection 

certificate requirements to March 18, 

2015, to ensure that countries have 

sufficient time to adjust to the new 

requirements for additional product 

information. 

DATES: Compliance date: Foreign 

Inspection certificate requirements: 

March 18, 2015. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information contact Dan 

Engeljohn, Assistant Administrator, 

Office of Policy and Program 

Development, FSIS, U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue 

SW., Washington, DC 20250–3700, (202) 

205–0495. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

On September 19, 2014, FSIS 

published a final rule, ‘‘Electronic 

Import Inspection Application and 

Certification of Imported Products and 

Foreign Establishments; Amendments to 

Facilitate the Public Health Information 

System (PHIS) and Other Changes to 

Import Inspection Regulations’’ (79 FR 

56220). The final rule amended the 

meat, poultry, and egg products import 

regulations to provide for the Agency’s 

Public Health Information System 

(PHIS) Import Component. The rule also 

removed from the regulations the 

discontinued ‘‘streamlined’’ import 

inspection procedures for Canadian 

product and required Sanitation 

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) 

at official import inspection 

establishments. In addition, the rule 

amended the regulations to delete 

overly prescriptive formatting and 

narrative requirements for foreign 

inspection certificates and to make the 

certificate requirements the same for 

imported meat, poultry, and egg 

products. The Agency also proposed to 

require additional information on the 

foreign inspection certificate so it would 

have complete foreign product 

information. 

The effective date of the final rule was 

November 18, 2014. However, to ensure 

that foreign countries have sufficient 

time to adjust to the new requirements 

for certifying the additional product 

information on foreign inspection 

certificates, FSIS will allow countries to 

continue using existing inspection 

certificates until March 18, 2015. FSIS 

announced the March 18, 2015, effective 

date for foreign inspection certificates in 

a Constituent Update that published on 

October 31, 2014 (http://

www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/

newsroom/meetings/newsletters/

constituent-updates/archive/2014/

ConstUpdate103114). In addition, in a 

letter issued to foreign countries, the 

Agency advised that it would allow 

countries to continue using existing 

foreign inspection certificates until 

March 18, 2015 (http://

www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/

3c9c0fa4-fa3c-4ae1-bfb0–0286623009f2/

Import-Rule-Letter-to-ForeignGov.pdf?MOD=AJPERES. 

Additional Public Notification 

Public awareness of all segments of 

rulemaking and policy development is 

important. Consequently, FSIS will 

announce this Federal Register 

publication on-line through the FSIS 

Web page located at: http://

www.fsis.usda.gov/federal-register. 

FSIS also will make copies of this 

publication available through the FSIS 

Constituent Update, which is used to 

provide information regarding FSIS 

policies, procedures, regulations, 

Federal Register notices, FSIS public 

meetings, and other types of information 

that could affect or would be of interest 

to our constituents and stakeholders. 

The Update is available on the FSIS 

Web page. Through the Web page, FSIS 

is able to provide information to a much 

broader, more diverse audience. In 

addition, FSIS offers an email 

subscription service which provides 

automatic and customized access to 

selected food safety news and 

information. This service is available at: 

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/subscribe. 

Options range from recalls to export 

information, regulations, directives, and 

notices. Customers can add or delete 

subscriptions themselves, and have the 

option to password protect their 

accounts. 

USDA Non-Discrimination Statement 

No agency, officer, or employee of the 

USDA shall, on the grounds of race, 

color, national origin, religion, sex, 

gender identity, sexual orientation, 

disability, age, marital status, family/

parental status, income derived from a 

public assistance program, or political 

beliefs, exclude from participation in, 

deny the benefits of, or subject to 

discrimination any person in the United 

States under any program or activity 

conducted by the USDA. 

How to File a Complaint of 

Discrimination 

To file a complaint of discrimination, 

complete the USDA Program 

Discrimination Complaint Form, which 

may be accessed online at http://

www.ocio.usda.gov/sites/default/files/

docs/2012/Complain_combined_6_8_

12.pdf, or write a letter signed by you 

or your authorized representative. 

Send your completed complaint form 

or letter to USDA by mail, fax, or email: 

Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20250–9410. 

Fax: (202) 690–7442. 

Email: program.intake@usda.gov. 

Persons with disabilities who require 

alternative means for communication 

(Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.), 

should contact USDA’s TARGET Center 

at (202) 720–2600 (voice and TDD). 

Done, at Washington, DC on: March 9, 

2015. 

Alfred V. Almanza, 

Acting Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2015–05670 Filed 3–11–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–DM–P 


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