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Statement of Dr. Barbara Masters, Administrator, Food Safety and Inspection Service
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In Response to OIG Report No. 50601-10-KC
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) Surveillance Program (Phase II) and
Controls Over BSE Sampling, Specified Risk Materials, and Advanced
Meat Recovery Products (Phase III)
"USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) appreciates the recommendations
contained in the Office of the Inspector General's (OIG) report on BSE Surveillance,
Sampling and Control of Specified Risk Materials. FSIS is proud of the fact that the
OIG has approved all of its proposed actions in response to the recommendations contained
in the report.
"FSIS is confident it is successfully carrying out its mission to protect public
health by strictly enforcing safeguards designed to prevent all tissues that science
tells us could be infective in a cow with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) from
entering the human food supply.
"FSIS agrees with OIG's finding that FSIS inspection program personnel, who are on
duty in every federally inspected meat, poultry and egg products plant in America, are
regularly taking action whenever they determine BSE safeguard regulations are not being
followed.
"FSIS has initiated or plans to take the following actions to strengthen its systems
for ensuring the removal, segregation and disposition of SRMs.
"FSIS has developed and implemented an enhancement to its Performance Based Inspection
System (PBIS) that provides the Agency with a tool to improve searches of PBIS data as well
as to ensure that Noncompliance Records (NRs) accurately cite the relevant regulatory
requirements. This enhancement will enable the Agency to identify and analyze issues of
concern in a more timely fashion.
"While plants are removing and controlling SRMs conscientiously, in some cases their
written plans for SRM removal, segregation and disposal fell short of regulatory standards.
Ensuring that plants document, as well as accomplish, SRM removal is very important.
"FSIS is confident it is successfully carrying out its mission to protect public health.
Strict enforcement of the SRM ban, coupled with government safeguards on cattle feed and USDA
BSE surveillance programs, form the interlocking BSE safeguards that continue to protect
consumers from BSE. Working with OIG, FSIS will continuously evaluate its policies and
procedures to ensure they are the strongest they can be."
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Last Modified:
February 2, 2006 |
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