[Federal Register: January 28, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 18)]
[Notices]
[Page 4106-4107]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr28ja04-20]
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Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
appearing in this section.
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[[Page 4106]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. 04-002N]
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Teaching Workshops
AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing
that it will hold a series of teaching workshops from January through
March 2004, to discuss the actions that FSIS has taken to prevent human
exposure to Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) by ensuring that
high-risk materials do not enter the human food supply. FSIS published
three interim rules and a notice on January 12, 2004, that contain
requirements for official establishments that slaughter cattle and
process beef and beef products to prevent adulteration with the BSE
agent. Each meeting will include an opportunity for the attendees to
ask questions of the USDA representatives presiding over the meeting.
DATES: The workshops will be held on January 31, 2004 in Tacoma, WA;
February 7, 2004 in Boise, ID; February 21, 2004 in Sioux Falls, SD;
February 28, 2004 in Madison, WI; and March 6, 2004 in Binghamton, NY.
ADDRESSES:
January 31, 2004, in Tacoma, Washington--Sheraton Tacoma Hotel, 1320
Broadway Plaza, Tacoma, WA 98402, (253) 572-3200.
February 7, 2004, in Boise, Idaho--Red Lion Hotel Downtowner, 1800
Fairview Avenue, Boise, ID 83702, (208) 344-7691.
February 21, 2004, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota--Holiday Inn City
Centre, 100 W. 8th St., Sioux Falls, SD 57104, (605) 339-2000.
February 28, 2004, in Madison, Wisconsin--Sheraton Madison Hotel, 706
John Nolen Drive, Madison, WI 53703, (608) 251-2300.
March 6, 2004, in Binghamton, New York--NYS Office of General Services,
Binghamton State Office Building, 44 Hawley Street, Binghamton, NY
13901, (607) 722-0000 (This location may change).
A tentative agenda will be available in the FSIS Docket Room and on
the Internet at http://www.fsis.usda.gov. FSIS highly recommends that
attendees pre-register for the workshops. To pre-register please call 1
(800) 384-3100 and follow the prompts. Or you may register online at
the following websites:
Tacoma, Washington: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/forms/reg_tacoma.aspBoise, Idaho: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/forms/reg_boise.asp
rms/reg_boise.asp
siouxfalls.asp
Madison, Wisconsin: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/forms/reg_madison.aspBinghamton, New York: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/forms/reg_
gov/forms/reg_
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Mary Harris of the FSIS Strategic
Initiatives, Partnership and Outreach Staff at (202) 690-6497. If a
sign language interpreter or other special accommodations are required,
please contact Ms. Mary Harris, no later than January 29, 2004.
For technical information, please contact Ms. Mary Cutshall,
Director, Strategic Initiatives, Partnerships and Outreach Staff,
Office of Public Affairs, Education and Outreach, at (202) 690-6520.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On December 23, 2003, the U.S. Department of Agriculture activated
its interagency emergency response plan for BSE. The emergency response
was activated after the diagnosis of BSE in a Holstein cow slaughtered
at an official establishment in the State of Washington. FSIS has taken
several actions that are intended to prevent human exposure to
materials that scientific studies have demonstrated can contain the BSE
agent in cattle infected with the disease.
On January 12, 2004, FSIS published three interim final rules and a
Federal Register notice to address this situation. The first,
``Prohibition of the Use of Specified Risk Materials for Human Food and
Requirements for the Disposition of Non-Ambulatory Disabled Cattle''
prohibits the use of ``specified risk materials'' (SRM) from cattle in
human food. The SRMs are defined in the rule as the brain, skull, eyes,
trigeminal ganglia, spinal cord, vertebral column (excluding the
vertebrae of the tail, the transverse processes of the thoracic and
lumbar vertebrae, and the wings of the sacrum), and dorsal root ganglia
of cattle 30 months of age or older and the tonsils and distal ileum of
the small intestine of all cattle. The interim final rule also requires
that all non-ambulatory disabled cattle that are presented for
slaughter will be condemned.
The second rule, ``Meat Produced by Advanced Meat/Bone Separation
Machinery and Meat Recovery (AMR) Systems,'' prohibits product prepared
using AMR systems from being labeled as ``meat'' if it contains any
spinal cord, dorsal root ganglia, trigeminal ganglia, or brain tissue
from livestock. The Agency also established standards for the levels of
calcium and iron in AMR product and banned the use of mechanically
separated beef. AMR product from livestock other than cattle that
contains central nervous-type tissues may be relabeled for use as MS
product.
Another interim final rule, ``Prohibition on the Use of Certain
Stunning Devices Used to Immobilize Cattle During Slaughter,'' will ban
the use of air injection stunning in official establishments.
A Federal Register notice, ``Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
Surveillance Program,'' specifies that FSIS will not permit the
carcasses or parts of ambulatory, non-disabled cattle that have passed
FSIS ante mortem inspection, but have been selected by the Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service for testing, to enter the human food
supply until negative sample results for the BSE agent are received by
FSIS. The workshops are designed to provide an overview of the new
regulatory requirements to owners and operators of small and very small
establishments that slaughter or process cattle or produce AMR product.
The
[[Page 4107]]
attendees will be provided with a more in-depth understanding of these
new requirements to assist them in complying with these regulations.
The workshops will also provide opportunities to discuss outreach to
small and very small plants, ensuring that these establishments receive
the guidance that they need to successfully respond to the new
requirements. Representatives of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service will also participate in the workshops.
Additional Public Notification
Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy
development is important. Consequently, in an effort to better ensure
that minorities, women, and persons with disabilities are aware of this
notice; FSIS will announce it and make copies of this Federal Register
publication available through the FSIS Constituent Update. FSIS
provides a weekly Constituent Update, which is communicated via
Listserv, a free e-mail subscription service. In addition, the update
is available on-line through the Internet at http://www.fsis.usda.gov.
The update is used to provide information regarding FSIS policies,
procedures, regulations, Federal Register notices, FSIS public
meetings, recalls, and any other types of information that could affect
or would be of interest to our constituents/stakeholders. The
constituent Listserv consists of industry, trade, and farm groups,
consumer interest groups, allied health professionals, scientific
professionals, and other individuals that have requested to be
included. Through the Listserv and Web page, FSIS is able to provide
information to a much broader, more diverse audience.
For more information contact the Congressional and Public Affairs
Office, at (202) 720-9113. To be added to the free e-mail subscription
service (Listserv) go to the ``Constituent Update'' page on the FSIS
Web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/update/update.htm. Click on the
``Subscribe to the Constituent Update Listserv'' link, then fill out
and submit the form.
Done at Washington, DC on January 23, 2004.
Garry L. McKee,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 04-1817 Filed 1-27-04; 8:45 am]