The Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today that an interim final rule to include ratites and squabs under mandatory poultry inspection regulations has gone on public display and will publish in the Federal Register on May 1, 2001. This interim final rule becomes effective today.
Ratites are flightless birds such as ostriches, emus, and rheas.
Squabs are young pigeons that have not yet flown. Some ratites and squabs have been inspected under the agency s voluntary poultry inspection program. Under this voluntary inspection, establishments pay a fee for inspection services. As a result of this action, U.S. establishments slaughtering or processing ratites or squabs for distribution into commerce as human food will now be subject to mandatory requirements of the Poultry Products Inspection Act and will no longer need to pay a fee for inspection. Effective today, operators who wish to continue to slaughter or process ratites and squabs must apply to FSIS for a grant of inspection for mandatory inspection service.