48190 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 160 / Monday, August 18, 2008 / Notices 

continental United States from Senegal 

using one or more of the five designated 

phytosanitary measures listed in 

§ 319.56–4(b). Therefore, in accordance 

with § 319.56–4(c), we are announcing 

the availability of our pest risk analysis 

for public review and comment. The 

pest risk analysis may be viewed on the 

Regulations.gov Web site or in our 

reading room (see ADDRESSES above for 

instructions for accessing 

Regulations.gov and information on the 

location and hours of the reading room). 

You may request paper copies of the 

pest risk analysis by calling or writing 

to the person listed under FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT. Please refer to the 

subject of the pest risk analysis when 

requesting copies. 

After reviewing the comments we 

receive, we will announce our decision 

regarding the import status of fresh 

white asparagus from Senegal in a 

subsequent notice. If the overall 

conclusions of the analysis and the 

Administrator’s determination of risk 

remain unchanged following our 

consideration of the comments, then we 

will begin issuing permits for 

importation of fresh white asparagus 

from Senegal into the continental 

United States subject to the 

requirements specified in the risk 

management analysis. 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 450, 7701–7772, and 

7781–7786; 21 U.S.C. 136 and 136a; 7 CFR 

2.22, 2.80, and 371.3. 

Done in Washington, DC, this 12th day of 

August, 2008. 

Cindy Smith, 

Administrator, Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. E8–19093 Filed 8–15–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Food Safety and Inspection Service 

[Docket No. FSIS–2008–0029] 

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 August 27–28, 

2008, to review and discuss 

international equivalence and the 

approach to verifying the equivalence of 

foreign food regulatory systems as the 

means of ensuring the safety of 

imported food products. The meeting 

will include discussion of four major 

perspectives. First, a U.S. government 

perspective will be presented on the 

FSIS strategy and the Food and Drug 

Administration (FDA) approach. 

Second, an industry perspective will be 

presented. Third, a consumer approach 

will be presented, and finally, the 

approaches by several foreign 

governments will be presented and 

discussed. 

All issues will be presented to the full 

Committee. The Committee will then 

divide into two subcommittees to 

discuss the issues. Each subcommittee 

will provide a report of their comments 

and recommendations to the full 

Committee before the meeting 

concludes on August 28, 2008. 

DATES: The Committee will hold a 

public meeting on Wednesday, August 

27, 2008, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and 

Thursday, August 28, 2008, from 

8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The subcommittees 

will hold open meetings during their 

deliberations and report preparation. 

ADDRESSES: The meetings will take 

place at the South Building Cafeteria, 

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 

14th & Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20250. Non-USDA 

employees must enter through wing 2, 

located on 12th and C Street, SW. 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 through 

September 29 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, USDA, FSIS, 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–2008–0029. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Contact Keith 

Payne for technical information at (202) 

690–6522, or e-mail 

keith.payne@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, 

Albuquerque, NM; 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. 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 160 / Monday, August 18, 2008 / Notices 48191 

Stromberg, Oklahoma Department of 

Agriculture, Food, and Forestry, 

Oklahoma City, OK. 

The Committee will review materials 

and provide comments and 

recommendations concerning FSIS’s 

approach for verifying equivalence of 

foreign inspection systems. This system 

consists of (1) determining equivalence 

of laws, regulations, and government 

controls, (2) audits of foreign inspection 

systems, and (3) port-of-entry (POE) 

reinspection of imported product. 

Under the Federal Meat Inspection 

Act and the Poultry Products Inspection 

Act, equivalence is the foundation for 

imports and has become a condition of 

trade between two countries. 

Equivalence recognizes that an 

exporting country can provide an 

appropriate level of food safety and 

public health protection, even if their 

sanitary measures are different from 

those applied by the U.S. Once a 

country is determined to have a system 

equivalent to the U.S., that country is 

then responsible for maintaining the 

entire system’s equivalence while 

exporting to the U.S. FSIS verifies that 

the country maintains equivalence 

through audits of foreign inspection 

systems. These audits include on-site 

visits by FSIS personnel of certified 

establishments and approved 

laboratories, and FSIS review of 

government controls. The final audit 

reports of these countries are posted on 

the FSIS Web site. 

Finally, the last part of verifying the 

continuing equivalence of foreign 

systems is through re-inspection of 

products at the U.S. border. Every 

shipment of meat, poultry, or egg 

products that enters the U.S. must be 

presented to an FSIS inspector at one of 

the approximately 140 official FSIS 

import establishments strategically 

located at major ocean ports of entry 

and land border crossings. It is here that 

the initial checks for proper 

documentation, transportation damage, 

and proper labeling are conducted. In 

addition to the initial re-inspection of 

product entering the U.S., FSIS 

performs random re-inspection on 

approximately 10 percent of the 

shipments of meat, poultry, and egg 

products. These re-inspection tasks 

include, for example, product 

examinations, microbiological analysis 

for pathogens, and/or a test for chemical 

residues. Acceptable products or the 

documents are marked as ‘‘Inspected 

and Passed’’ and the product is released 

into commerce. Non-compliant products 

are rejected, marked as ‘‘Refused Entry,’’

and either destroyed or exported from 

the U.S. More intensive re-inspection is 

automatically applied to future 

shipments of product from the foreign 

establishment that produced the 

product that failed re-inspection. 

If a country does not implement an 

FSIS requirement or equivalent sanitary 

measure, or fails an audit, or POE reinspection identifies serious problems, 

FSIS can, and has in the past, suspend 

imports from that country or individual 

plants within the country, or suspend 

specific products from the country. 

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/ 

2008_Notices_Index/. 

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, export 

information, 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 August 12, 

2008. 

Alfred V. Almanza, 

Administrator. 

[FR Doc. E8–19041 Filed 8–13–08; 11:15 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–DM–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Food Safety Inspection Service 

[Docket No. FSIS 2008–0024] 

Nominations for Membership on the 

National Advisory Committee on 

Microbiological Criteria for Foods 

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection 

Service (FSIS), USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces that 

the U.S. Department of Agriculture 

(USDA) is soliciting nominations for 

membership on the National Advisory 

Committee on Microbiological Criteria 

for Foods (NACMCF). Nominations for 

membership are being sought from 

individuals with scientific expertise in 

the fields of epidemiology, food 

technology, microbiology (food, clinical, 

and predictive), risk assessment, 

infectious disease, biostatistics, and 

other related sciences. Persons from the 

Federal government, State governments, 

industry, consumer groups, and 

academia, as well as all other interested 

persons, are invited to submit 

nominations. Members who are not 

federal government employees will be 

appointed to serve as non-compensated 

special government employees (SGEs). 

SGEs will be subject to appropriate 

conflict of interest statutes and 

standards of ethical conduct. 

The nominee’s typed resume or 

curriculum vitae must be limited to five 

one-sided pages and should include 

educational background, expertise, and 

a select list of publications. For 

submissions received that are more than 

five one-sided pages in length, only the 

first five pages will be considered. 

DATES: The nominee’s typed resume or 

curriculum vitae must be received by 

September 17, 2008. 

ADDRESSES: Nominations can be sent by 

mail, fax, or e-mail to Ms. Karen 

Thomas-Sharp, Advisory Committee 

Specialist, USDA, Food Safety and 

Inspection Service, Room 333 


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