603-029-0405 Identification of Carcass with Certain Severed Parts Thereof and with Animal from Which Derived (1) The head, tail, tongue, thymus gland, and all viscera of each slaughtered meat animal, and all blood and other parts of such meat animal to be used in the preparation of meat products or medical products, shall be handled in such a manner as to identify them with the rest of the carcass and as being derived from the particular meat animal involved, until the post-mortem examination of the carcass and parts thereof has been completed. Such handling shall include the retention of ear tags, backtags, implants, and other identifying devices affixed to the meat animal, in such a way to relate them to the carcass until the post-mortem examination has been completed. (2) The official State-Federal Department backtag on any carcass shall: (a)(A) Be removed from the hide of the meat animal by a state-inspected establishment employee and placed in a clear plastic bag. The bag containing the tag shall be affixed to the corresponding carcass. (B) The bag containing the tag shall be removed from the carcass by a state-inspected establishment employee and presented with the viscera to the inspector at the point where such inspector conducts the viscera inspection. (b)(A) Brucellosis and tuberculosis ear tags, herd identification ear tags, sales tags, ear bangles, and similar identification devices shall be removed from the meat animal's hide or ear by a state-inspected establishment employee and shall be placed in a clear plastic bag and affixed to the corresponding carcass. (B) The bag containing the tag shall be removed from the carcass by a state-inspected establishment employee and presented with the viscera to the inspector at the point where such inspector conducts the viscera inspection. (c) In cases where both types of devices described in sections (2)(a) and (b) of this rule are present on the same meat animal, both types may be placed in the same plastic bag or in two separate bags. (d) The supervisor may allow the use of any alternate method proposed by the operator of a state-inspected establishment for handling the type of devices described in section (2)(b) of this rule if such alternate method would provide a ready means of identifying a specific carcass with the corresponding devices by an inspector during the post-mortem inspection. (e) Disposition and use of identifying devices. (A) The official State-Federal Department backtags will be collected by an inspector and used to obtain traceback information necessary for proper disposition of the meat animal or carcass and otherwise handled according to instructions issued to the inspectors. (B) The devices described in section (2)(b) of this rule shall be collected by the inspector when required to obtain traceback information necessary for proper disposition of the meat animal or carcass and for controlling the slaughter of reactor meat animals. Devices not collected for these purposes shall be discarded after the post-mortem examination is complete. (f) Plastic bags used by the establishment for collecting identifying devices will be furnished by the Department. Statutory/Other Authority: ORS 603.085, ORS 617.700, ORS 619.042 & ORS 619.046 Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS 619.042, ORS 619.046, ORS 619.026 & ORS 619.036 History: DOA 19-2022, adopt filed 07/27/2022, effective 07/28/2022