[Federal Register: August 16, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 159)]
[Notices]
[Page 42988-42989]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16au01-26]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Marketing Service
[PY-00-004]
Voluntary Grade Standards for Rabbits and U.S. Grade C-Quality
Poultry
AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) proposes to change
the voluntary United States Grade Standards for Rabbits. Specifically,
the changes will add stewer rabbits to the roaster and mature rabbit
class; update and clarify the tolerances for conformation, fleshing,
disjointed and broken bones, and freezing; and provide new tolerances
for cuts and tears and discolorations. The standards are being updated
to provide more specific grade factors for increasing accuracy of grade
determination. Additionally, AMS will update the voluntary United
States Grade Standards for Grade C-quality ready-to-cook poultry for
consistency with existing U.S. Grade A and B standards.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before October 15, 2001.
ADDRESSES: Written comments may be submitted to David Bowden, Chief,
Standardization Branch, Poultry Programs, AMS, USDA, Room 3944-South
Bldg., STOP 0259, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-
0259; faxed to (202) 690-0941; or e-mailed to pydocket@usda.gov.
All comments received will be available for public inspection
during regular business hours (8 a.m.--4:30 p.m. eastern time).
The current United States Grade Standards for Poultry and Rabbits,
along with the proposed changes, are available either through the above
address or AMS's Internet site at: www.ams.usda.gov/standards.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Contact Rex A. Barnes at (202) 720-3271.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Poultry grading is a voluntary program
provided under the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, as amended, 7
U.S.C. 1621 et seq., and is offered on a fee-for-service basis. Section
203(c) of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, as amended, directs
and authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture ``to develop and improve
standards of quality, condition, grade, and packaging and recommend and
demonstrate such standards in order to encourage uniformity and
consistency in commercial practices * * *.'' AMS is committed to
carrying out this authority in a manner that facilitates the marketing
of agricultural commodities.
On December 4, 1995, the Voluntary United States Grade Standards
for Rabbits and Poultry were removed from the Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR) as part of the National Performance Review program.
AMS continues to administer the voluntary standards, maintaining their
existing numbering system, and copies of the official standards are
available upon request.
The U.S. Grade Standards for Rabbits and Poultry were last revised
on April 29, 1998. These revisions changed poultry feather tolerances
and added new boneless, skinless and size-reduced poultry products.
Since that time, rabbit producers and processors have requested that
AMS clarify the rabbit standards by developing detailed defect
tolerances for cuts and tears, discolorations, and freezing defects to
reflect the developing processing technology. Rabbit processors hope to
use these standards to assist in marketing graded rabbit products.
AMS proposes to add stewer rabbits to the class of roaster and
mature rabbits and decrease the age requirement for these rabbits to
six months of age. This change is consistent with actual rabbit grower
and breeding terminology.
The following proposed changes pertain to the standards for Grades
A-, B-, and C-quality rabbits:
(1) Updated information will be provided for conformation and
fleshing. Current grade criteria describe hip and back
characterizations that are not applicable to meat-yielding rabbit
breeds today.
(2) Disjointed and broken bone criteria will be updated to reflect
actual processing activities including the presence of broken bones due
to the removal of head and feet. Tolerances will be established to
indicate points at which a bone may be broken regarding the start of
the meat tissue.
(3) The term ``pockmarks'' will be removed from the freezing
defects section and replaced with ``drying out of the outer layer of
flesh.'' AMS has found that the pockmarks are traditionally found on
skin-on poultry and are not applicable to rabbits. The drying out of
the outer layer of flesh (freezer burn) is a more descriptive
explanation for freezing defects that occur on rabbit products during
frozen storage.
(4) New tolerances will be established for cuts and tears. Current
standards do not allow or identify a length for cuts or tears
regardless of grade being produced. Processors have expressed that
since the hide or pelt must be removed from all rabbits, hand and
mechanical cuts are often needed to start the hide or pelt removal
process making this requirement unrealistic. AMS agrees and has worked
with the industry to develop a tolerance for the cuts and tears to
reflect industry-processing techniques.
(5) New discoloration tolerances will be defined to indicate
whether slight,
[[Page 42989]]
lightly shaded, or moderately shaded discolorations, blood clots, or
incomplete bleeding will be allowed. Current standards do not indicate
the dimensions for discolorations making the grade establishment of
rabbit carcasses and parts more difficult.
With respect to U.S. Grade C-quality standards for poultry, AMS
proposes to add subject headings and text for poultry conformation,
fleshing, fat covering, defeathering, exposed flesh, discolorations,
trimming, and freezing defects to clearly define and coincide with the
requirements printed in the Grade C-quality table. These additions are
consistent with the current written format for U.S. Grades A-and B-
quality poultry and impose no new requirements to industry.
Other miscellaneous changes are proposed to remove obsolete
material, clarify, simplify, and technically correct the standards.
These changes to the rabbit and poultry standards impose no new
requirements.
Dated: August 10, 2001.
Kenneth C. Clayton,
Acting Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 01-20583 Filed 8-15-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P