Congressional and Public Affairs
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April Demert

WASHINGTON, October 6, 2004 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service today announced that $275,000 will be awarded to nine states to help educate food animal producers about production practices that promote food safety.

Through cooperative agreements, FSIS provides states with funding and resources to develop state-level animal production food safety partnerships. FSIS enters into these agreements with State Departments of Agriculture and/or state animal health agencies to encourage development of HACCP-compatible animal production food safety practices.

"The partnerships between FSIS and these nine states will further enhance communication and cooperation and will improve food safety practices on the farm," said Acting FSIS Administrator Dr. Barbara J. Masters. "These initiatives provide critically important information to producers about minimizing potentially dangerous pathogens."

The states that will receive funding to support their animal and egg production food safety programs in 2004 are Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, South Dakota, Vermont and West Virginia.

The funds will support a variety of educational programs and initiatives, including demonstrations of best management practices for producers, methods to improve humane handling of livestock, antibiotic residue avoidance and compliance with the Food and Drug Administration's ruminant feed ban.

The development and implementation of best management practices to reduce foodborne pathogens before slaughter is one of the goals outlined in USDA's food safety vision paper, "Enhancing Public Health: Strategies for the Future." The science-based initiatives outlined in the vision document will help FSIS better understand, predict and prevent microbiological contamination of meat and poultry products, improving health outcomes for American families.