ANIMAL PRODUCTION CLASSES 

Production class nomenclature includes: 

Bovine 

• Beef cows are mature, female cattle bred for muscle development, ordinarily having given birth to 

one or more calves. 

• Bulls are mature, uncastrated male cattle. 

• Calves/veal: The agency is currently engaging in rulemaking to define “veal.” For sampling purposes 

under the NRP, veal calves are defined as immature cattle (including dairy breeds) lacking a 

functional rumen and intended for meat production. They are recognized as a separate class from 

suckling calves because of their handling, housing, and proximity to slaughter. 

• Dairy cows are mature, female cattle bred for milk production, ordinarily having given birth to one 

or more calves. 

• Heifers are young, female cattle more than 1 year old that have not yet given birth to a calf. 

• Steers are male cattle castrated before sexual maturity. 

Porcine 

• Boars are mature swine showing male sexual characteristics. 

• Market swine are usually marketed near 6 months of age and 200 to 300 pounds live weight. 

• Roaster swine are animals of both sexes and any age that are marketed with the carcass unsplit and 

with the head on. 

• Sows are mature, female swine, ordinarily having given birth to one or more litters. 

• Stags are male swine castrated after they have reached sexual maturity. 

• Feral Swine are domestic swine that escape captivity and reproduce in the wild. Feral swine differ 

from their domestic counterparts in their physical appearance and in the manner in which they are 

raised and their method of capture. Typical characteristics of feral swine include color patterns (e.g., 

white stripes or spots), longer bristly haircoat, elongated snout with visible tusks, a “razorback” 

body shape, and wild boar males, which are uncastrated 

Poultry 

• Ducks are birds of both sexes and any age. 

• Egg products include yolks, whites, or whole eggs after breaking; eggs are processed as dried, 

frozen, or liquid. 

• Geese are birds of both sexes and any age. 

• Mature chickens are adult female birds, usually more than 10 months of age. 

• Old breeder turkeys are birds of both sexes and usually more than 15 months of age. 

• Young chickens include broilers/fryers birds of both sexes that are usually less than 10 weeks of age. 

• Roasters chickens are birds of both sexes, usually less than 12 weeks of age. 

• Capons are surgically castrated male chickens usually less than 8 months of age. 

• Young turkeys are fryer/roaster birds that are of both sexes and usually less than 12 weeks of age. 

• Other poultry include ratites (e.g., ostriches, emus, rheas), guineas, squabs (young, unfledged 

pigeons), adult pigeons, pheasants, grouse, partridge, quail, etc. 

Other Livestock 

• Goats are animals of both sexes and any age. 

• Lambs are sheep younger than 14 months and having a break joint in at least one leg. 

• Rabbits are any of several lagomorph mammals of both sexes and any age. 

• Sheep are mature animals of both sexes. 

• Other livestock include bison, deer, elk, etc. 

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Siluriformes Fish 

An order of bony fish that includes all catfish. All catfish have at least one pair of barbels (“feelers”) on 

the upper jaw, with many possessing spines in front of the dorsal and pectoral fins. Most species 

inhabit fresh water, but a few species are marine (salt-water). This includes the following: 

ORDER

FAMILY

ACCEPTABLE COMMON OR USUAL 

NAMES GENUS SPECIES 

SILURIFORMES* 

Ictaluridae 

Blue Catfish or Catfish Ictalurus furcatus 

Channel Catfish or Catfish Ictalurus punctatus 

White Catfish or Catfish Ameiurus catus 

Black Bullhead or Bullhead or Catfish Ameiurus melas 

Yellow Bullhead or Bullhead or Catfish Ameiurus natalis 

Brown Bullhead or Bullhead or Catfish Ameiurus nebulosus 

Flat Bullhead or Bullhead or Catfish Ameiurus platycephalus 

Clariidae

Whitespotted fish or Chinese fish Clarias fuscus 

Sharptooth Clarias Fish Clarias gariepinus 

Broadhead Clarias Fish Clarias macrocephalus 

Walking Clarias Fish Clarias batrachus 

Pangasius

Swai or Sutchi or Striped Pangasius or Tra Pangasianodon hypophthalmus or 

Pangasius hypophthalmus 

Basa Pangasius bocourti 

Mekong Giant Pangasius Pangasius gigas 

Giant Pangasius Pangasius sanitwongsei 

* This list is not all-inclusive. For an exhaustive list of Siluriformes fish under FSIS 

jurisdiction see Siluriformes Fish Species FSIS. For other Siluriformes fish see the Integrated 

Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) at http://www.itis.gov and the Seafood List at 

http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/fdcc/?set=seafoodlist. 

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