ol 4-2017- 00a'TY
4) Animal Welfare Institute

Rae 900 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20003

Received in USDA/FSIS
July 5, 2017
Freedom of Information Act Officer JUL 06 2017
USDA, Food Safety and Inspection Service
Room 2168 South Building FOIA Office

1400 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20250

FOIA Request: Good Commercial Practice Records
Dear FOIA Officer:

This is a request for public records made on behalf of the Animal Welfare Institute (A WI), pursuant
to the Federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. § 552 et seq. This request satisfies
the written request requirement pursuant to 7 C.F.R. § 1.5(a).

We request that you please provide the following documents related to poultry slaughter
establishment good commercial practice (GCP):

1, All 04C0S inspection task records for non-compliance related to the humane treatment
of poultry under the PPIA, including Noncompliance Records (NRs), and
Memorandums of Interview (MOls), issued during the months of April, May, and June
2017.

2. Acopy of any DVMS reviews contained in PHIS of poultry slaughter plants. This could
include GCP verification visit documents based on visits conducted by DVMSs or other
agency personnel, as well as any supporting materials, issued during the months of
April, May, and June 2017.

3. All remaining records in FSIS’s possession related to the humane treatment of poultry
under the PPIA, including Memorandum of Information, Letters of Concern, and
Letters of Cause, issued during the months of April, May, and June 2017.

Please provide the records in the format that will ensure the most immediate response—
electronically, hardcopy, or CD-ROM. Additionally, please provide the records as they become
available.

In the event that you deny access to any of the requested records, please provide all reasonably
segregable, non-exempt portions of the relevant records. See 5 U.S.C. § 552(b). Additionally,
please describe the deleted material in detail, specify the statutory basis for the denial, and explain
the basis for your belief that the material is exempt. I further request that you separately state your



reasons for not invoking your discretionary powers to release the requested documents in the
public interest. Please also notify me of any appeal procedures available under the law, as well as
the office and address where such an appeal can be sent.

AWI has routinely requested poultry slaughter Good Commercial Practice records for more than
one year, and it intends to continue to do so indefinitely. Therefore, AWI encourages FSIS to make
these records available on the agency’s website to avoid the time and effort required to provide the
records via the FOIA process.

Fee Waiver

AWLis a nonprofit organization promoting the humane treatment of animals, including animals in
agriculture, The information subject to this request will be used to educate concerned individuals
about animal welfare in slaughter establishments. The information the records contain would
contribute significantly to the public understanding of humane and public health issues at major
U.S. slaughter facilities as well as the evidence relied upon by the agency in reaching decisions
regarding the treatment of farm animals.

Additionally, the records covered by this request are not publically posted or otherwise published,
and AWI has no intention to use the information disclosed under this request for financial gain. If,
however, the waiver is denied and the request will involve more than two search hours or more
than 100 pages of documents, and fees will exceed twenty dollars ($20.00), please notify me
immediately by telephone before the request is processed so that we can decide whether to pay the
additional fees or to appeal the denial of the request for waiver.

If you_have any questions regarding this request, you may contact me mo) (6)
Coa records and any related correspondence should be sent to my attention
at the address above.

Sincerely,

wnt

Dena Jones
Director, Farm Animal Program
Animal Welfare Institute