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,

committee meetings, agency decisions and

rulings, delegations of authority, filing of

petitions and applications and agency

statements of organization and functions are

examples of documents appearing in this

section.

Notices Federal Register

4516 

Vol. 73, No. 17 

Friday, January 25, 2008 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Food Safety and Inspection Service 

[Docket No. FSIS–2008–0003] 

National Advisory Committee on Meat 

and Poultry Inspection 

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection 

Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of public meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Food Safety and 

Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing, 

pursuant to the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App. 2, that the 

National Advisory Committee on Meat 

and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI) will 

hold a public meeting on February 5–6, 

2008, to review and discuss: (1) The 

planned public health-based slaughter 

inspection system for young chickens 

and (2) how a similar approach could be 

used for inspection in processing and 

other slaughter establishments. Both 

issues will be presented to the full 

Committee. The Committee will then 

divide into two subcommittees to 

discuss both issues. Each subcommittee 

will provide a report of their comments 

and recommendations to the full 

committee before the meeting concludes 

on February 6, 2008. 

DATES: The Committee will hold a 

public meeting on Wednesday, February 

5, and Thursday, February 6, 2008, from 

8:15 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. The 

subcommittees will hold open meetings 

during their deliberations and report 

preparation. 

ADDRESSES: The meetings will take 

place at the Key Bridge Marriott, 1401 

Lee Highway, Arlington, VA 22209; 

telephone, (703) 524–6400. The meeting 

agenda is available on the Internet at the 

NACMPI Web site, http:// 

www.fsis.usda.gov/about_fsis/nacmpi/ 

index.asp. 

The NACMPI meeting agenda, 

together with information and resource 

materials on public health-based 

inspection, is also available on the 

Internet at, http://www.fsis.usda.gov/ 

regulations_&_policies/ 

Public_Health_Based_Inspection/ 

index.asp. 

FSIS welcomes comments on the 

topics discussed at the NACMPI public 

meeting. Comments may be submitted 

by any of the following methods: 

Electronic mail: 

NACMPI@fsis.usda.gov. 

Mail, including floppy disks or CD– 

ROMs: Send to National Advisory 

Committee on Meat and Poultry 

Inspection, United States Department of 

Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection 

Service, 14th & Independence Avenue, 

SW., Room 1180—South Building, 

Washington, DC 20250. 

Hand- or courier-delivered items: 

Deliver to Faye Smith at 14th & 

Independence Avenue, SW., Room 

1180–S, Washington, DC. To deliver 

these items, the building security guard 

must first call (202) 720–9113. 

Facsimile: Send to Faye Smith, (202) 

720–5704. All submissions received 

must include the Agency name and 

docket number FSIS–2008–0003. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Contact 

Robert Tynan for technical information 

at (202) 720–3884, or e-mail 

robert.tynan@fsis.usda.gov, and Faye 

Smith for meeting information at (202) 

720–9113, Fax (202) 720–5704, or e-mail 

faye.smith@fsis.usda.gov. Persons 

requiring a sign language interpreter or 

other special accommodations should 

notify Faye Smith at the numbers above 

or by e-mail. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The NACMPI provides advice and 

recommendations to the Secretary of 

Agriculture pertaining to the Federal 

and State meat and poultry inspection 

programs, pursuant to sections 7(c), 24, 

205, 301(a)(3), 301(a)(4), and 301(c) of 

the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 

U.S.C. 607(c), 624, 645, 661(a)(3), 

661(a)(4), and 661(c)) and sections 

5(a)(3), 5(a)(4), 5(c), 8(b), and 11(e) of 

the Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 

U.S.C. 454(a)(3), 454(a)(4), 454(c), 

457(b), and 460(e)). 

The Administrator of FSIS is the 

chairperson of the Committee. 

Membership of the Committee is drawn 

from representatives of consumer 

groups; producers, processors, and 

marketers from the meat, poultry and 

egg product industries; State and local 

government officials; and academia. The 

current members of the NACMPI are: 

Ms. Kibbe M. Conti, Northern Plains 

Nutrition Consulting, Rapid City, SD; 

Mr. Brian R. Covington, Keystone Foods 

LLC, West Conshohocken, PA; Dr. 

Catherine N. Cutter, Pennsylvania State 

University, University Park, PA; Dr. 

James S. Dickson, Iowa State University, 

Ames, IA; Mr. Kevin M. Elfering, 

Minnesota Department of Agriculture, 

St. Paul, MN; Mr. Mike W. Finnegan, 

Montana Meat & Poultry Inspection 

Bureau, Helena, MT; Ms. Carol Tucker 

Foreman, Consumer Federation of 

America, Chevy Chase, MD; Dr. Andrea 

L. Grondahl, North Dakota Department 

of Agriculture, Bismarck, ND; Dr. Joseph 

J. Harris, Southwest Meat Association, 

Bryan, TX; Dr. Craig W. Henry, Food 

Products Association, Washington, DC; 

Ms. Cheryl D. Jones, Morehouse School 

of Medicine, Atlanta, GA; Mr. Michael 

E. Kowalcyk, DunnhumbyUSA LLC, 

Cincinnati, OH; Dr. Shelton E. Murinda, 

California State Polytechnic University, 

Pomona, CA; Dr. Edna Negron-Bravo, 

University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, 

PR; Dr. Michael L. Rybolt, National 

Turkey Federation, Washington, DC; Mr. 

Mark P. Schad, Schad Meats, Inc., 

Cincinnati, OH; and Dr. Stanley A. 

Stromberg, Oklahoma Department of 

Agriculture, Food, and Forestry, 

Oklahoma City, OK. 

The Committee will review a draft 

report outlining a public health-based 

slaughter inspection system for young 

chickens. The components of the 

planned system are science-based. The 

focus of the inspection activities in this 

system are the points within the poultry 

slaughter process that have the greatest 

risk for causing microbial or other 

contamination on young chicken 

carcasses or otherwise rendering the 

carcasses adulterated. These focused 

activities will be performed within the 

regulatory framework of current FSIS 

inspection activities regarding 

verification of Hazard Analysis Critical 

Control Point systems, Sanitation SOPs, 

sanitation performance standards, and 

other regulatory requirements. In 

addition, FSIS will utilize its inspection 

resources, including performing Food 

Safety Assessments on poultry slaughter 

establishments, as a means of assessing 

the design of an establishment’s 

inspection system and whether it is 

under control and functions effectively. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 17 / Friday, January 25, 2008 / Notices 4517 

FSIS is considering proposing to require 

that young chicken slaughter 

establishments that participate in this 

inspection system meet public healthbased performance standards for 

microorganisms, such as Salmonella 

and Campylobacter. FSIS is also 

considering to propose that 

participating young chicken slaughter 

establishments meet a performance 

standard for generic E. coli. FSIS is 

considering this standard as a measure 

of sanitary conditions. 

FSIS’ traditional method of inspection 

for young chicken slaughter 

establishments was designed before 

microbial contamination was recognized 

as a leading cause of foodborne human 

illness. FSIS would like to update the 

inspection system for young chicken 

slaughter establishments so that it will 

function effectively with the significant 

advances that have been made in the 

processing methods employed by many 

of these establishments. FSIS believes 

that the inspection system that it is 

considering will be better able to protect 

public health because it will be better 

adapted to the methods being used in 

slaughter plants. FSIS activities will 

likely focus on establishments and 

points within the poultry slaughter 

process at which microbial 

contamination of young chicken 

carcasses is likely to occur. Similarly, 

FSIS believes that the performance 

standards it is considering will decrease 

the amount of microbial contamination 

occurring at the end of the poultry 

slaughter process. 

An approach to inspection that 

focuses on points within an 

establishment that present the greatest 

likelihood of causing microbial and 

other contamination, and on those 

establishments with evidence of a loss 

of process control, could also be applied 

to processing establishments and to 

other slaughter establishments in 

addition to those that slaughter young 

chickens. The Committee will also 

review a draft report outlining how a 

public-health based inspection system 

could be applied to those 

establishments and the scientific basis 

for such a system. 

All interested parties are welcome to 

attend the meetings and to submit 

written comments and suggestions 

concerning issues the Committee will 

review and discuss. The comments and 

the official transcript of the meeting, 

when they become available, will be 

kept in the FSIS Docket Room, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, Food Safety 

and Inspection Service, 1400 

Independence Avenue, SW., Room 

2534, South Building, Washington, DC 

20250, and posted on the Agency’s 

NACMPI Web site, http:// 

www.fsis.usda.gov/about_fsis/nacmpi/ 

index.asp. 

Members of the public will be 

required to register before entering the 

meeting. 

Additional Public Notification 

Public awareness of all segments of 

rulemaking and policy development is 

important. Consequently, in an effort to 

ensure that the public and in particular 

minorities, women, and persons with 

disabilities, are aware of this notice, 

FSIS will announce it on-line through 

the FSIS Web page located at http:// 

www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations/ 

2007_Notices_Index/index.asp. FSIS 

also will make copies of this Federal 

Register 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 communicated via 

Listserv, a free e-mail subscription 

service consisting of industry, trade, and 

farm groups, consumer interest groups, 

allied health professionals, scientific 

professionals, and other individuals 

who have requested to be included. The 

Update also is available on the FSIS 

Web page. Through Listserv and the 

Web page, FSIS is able to provide 

information to a much broader, more 

diverse audience. 

In addition, FSIS offers an e-mail 

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/ 

news_and_events/email_subscription/. 

Options range from recalls to export 

information to regulations, directives 

and notices. Customers can add or 

delete subscriptions themselves, and 

have the option to password protect 

their accounts. 

Done at Washington, DC, on January 22, 

2008. 

Alfred V. Almanza, 

Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 08–292 Filed 1–22–08; 11:39 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–DM–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

National Agricultural Statistics Service 

Notice of the Advisory Committee on 

Agriculture Statistics Meeting 

AGENCY: National Agricultural Statistics 

Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act, the 

National Agricultural Statistics Service 

(NASS) announces a meeting of the 

Advisory Committee on Agriculture 

Statistics. 

DATES: The Committee meeting will be 

held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, 

February 25, 2008, and from 8 a.m. to 

5 p.m. on Tuesday, February 26, 2008. 

There will be an opportunity for public 

questions and comments at 1:50 p.m. on 

February 26, 2008. 

ADDRESSES: The Committee meeting 

will take place at the Marriott—

Louisville Downtown, 280 West 

Jefferson Street, Louisville, Kentucky 

40202. Written comments may be filed 

before or within a reasonable time after 

the meeting with the contact person 

identified herein at: U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, National Agricultural 

Statistics Service, 1400 Independence 

Avenue, SW., Room 5041A, South 

Building, Washington, DC 20250–2000. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joe 

Reilly, Executive Director, Advisory 

Committee on Agriculture Statistics, 

Telephone: 202–720–4333, Fax: 202–

720–9013, or e-mail: 

jreilly@nass.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Advisory Committee on Agriculture 

Statistics, which consists of 25 members 

appointed from 7 categories covering a 

broad range of agricultural disciplines 

and interests, has scheduled a meeting 

on February 25–27, 2008. During this 

time the Advisory Committee will 

discuss topics including the USDA 

Information Technology Consolidation, 

update on the Data Enclave, Annual 

NASS Program Priorities, County 

Estimates Program, Dairy Prices, 

Environmental and Chemical Use 

Program, Farm and Ranch Irrigation 

Survey and Energy Survey, and 

Agricultural Resource Management 

Survey. 

The Committee meeting is open to the 

public. The public may file written 

comments to the USDA Advisory 

Committee contact person before or 

within a reasonable time after the 

meeting. All statements will become a 

part of the official records of the USDA 

Advisory Committee on Agriculture 

Statistics and will be kept on file for 

public review in the office of the 

Executive Director, Advisory Committee 

on Agriculture Statistics, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, Washington, 

DC 20250. 


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