CONTINUATION OF INTERIM PERIOD FOR VOLUNTARY INSPECTION AND CERTIFICATION OF NATURAL CASINGS
 

This notice advises inspection program personnel that FSIS is extending the time that the natural casings industry has to bring itself into compliance with the Agency’s expectations in its voluntary, fee for service program under 9 CFR Part 350 for the inspection of casings and the certification of casings for export. On November 17, 2006, FSIS announced in FSIS Notice 76-06, Interim Period for Voluntary Inspection and Certification of Natural Casings, that certain measures to facilitate the industry’s efforts would be in place until they expire on February 15, 2007. FSIS is extending that expiration date.

FSIS intends to issue a directive that will replace the series of notices, including this notice, regarding the voluntary inspection and certification of natural casings that FSIS issued in 2006. When issued, the directive will include a specified implementation date. The Agency will issue the directive at least 30 days before its implementation date. Until FSIS issues the directive, however, inspection program personnel are to continue to follow the instructions from FSIS Notice 76-06 as provided below:

1. Inspection program personnel are to continue to permit the application of approved labels bearing the mark of inspection to natural casings at facilities where the casings are cleaned and otherwise prepared, without regard to whether the casings are derived from intestines that received the mark of inspection, provided that the facility presents documentation (e.g., bills of lading) to establish that the casings were shipped from a slaughter establishment in the United States (U.S.) where the carcasses from which the casings were derived were federally inspected and passed (see 9 CFR 350.2(i)).
   
   
2. If requested by a casings facility, inspection program personnel may sign FSIS Form 9060-7 even if the casings do not bear the mark of inspection, provided FSIS inspection personnel can find that the statements in the certification are true. Documentation accompanying the shipment of such casings must substantiate that the casings were derived from animals that received and passed ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection in the U.S. or in a country with an inspection system equivalent to the U.S. system.
    
3. During the interim period, the Agency will reinstate the provision that was in the Export Library regarding the export of casings to Canada as it was before November 1, 2006. Therefore, until further notice, inspection program personnel are to permit the casings to be marked “inspected and passed” and sign the export certificate FSIS Form 9135-3 for the export of casings to Canada.
    
4. Other natural casings originating in foreign countries with inspection systems equivalent to that of the U.S. (and the establishment that exports these casings is on the list of establishments permitted to export to the U.S.) can be certified for re-export by means of FSIS Form 9060-18 provided the exporter can present documentation supporting the statements on the certificate. (This interim notice does not affect the long-standing policy regarding the re-export of imported casings.)
   
   

Philip S. Derfler
Assistant Administrator
Office of Policy, Program, and Employee Development