[Federal Register: January 12, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 7)]
[Notices]
[Page 1892]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12ja04-135]
[[Page 1892]]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. 03-048N]
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Surveillance Program
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 no longer pass and apply the mark of inspection to the
carcasses and parts from cattle that are selected for testing by USDA's
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) for Bovine
Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) until the sample is determined to be
negative.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Daniel L. Engeljohn, Ph.D., Executive
Associate, Office of Policy and Program Development, Food Safety and
Inspection Service, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250-
3700; (202) 205-0495.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The mission of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) is to enhance the quality of life for the American
people by ensuring a safe, affordable, nutritious, and accessible food
supply. APHIS is responsible for ensuring animals and plant health.
FSIS is responsible for protecting the Nation's meat, poultry, and egg
products supply, making sure it is safe, wholesome, not adulterated,
and properly labeled and packaged. These two agencies lead USDA's
program activities for prevention, monitoring, and control of bovine
spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle and in the U.S. food supply.
BSE, widely referred to as ``mad cow disease,'' is a chronic
degenerative disease affecting the central nervous system (CNS) of
cattle.
To prevent the entry into commerce of meat and meat food products
that are adulterated, FSIS inspection program personnel perform ante-
and post-mortem inspection of cattle that are slaughtered in the United
States. As part of the ante-mortem inspection, FSIS inspection program
personnel look for symptoms of disease, including signs of CNS
impairment. Cattle showing symptoms of certain diseases, including
those exhibiting signs of neurologic impairment, are condemned, and the
meat from these animals is not permitted for use as human food. The
brains from cattle exhibiting signs of neurologic impairment are
submitted to USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories for
analysis.
APHIS veterinarians also randomly collect brain samples from cattle
that are believed to be at higher risk of BSE, including cattle older
than 30 months and non-ambulatory cattle, as well as from other cattle
that do not exhibit signs of neurologic impairment to be tested for
BSE. Until recently, unless otherwise prohibited by an FSIS Veterinary
Medical Officer, the meat from these animals was allowed to be
processed for human food before the BSE sample results were received by
FSIS and the establishment. FSIS recommended, but did not require, that
slaughter establishments hold these carcasses until the sample results
had been received.
On December 23, 2003, APHIS diagnosed a presumptive-positive case
of BSE in the brain of an adult Holstein cow in the State of
Washington. This brain had been sampled by APHIS as part of its
surveillance sampling program. On December 25, 2003, the International
Reference Laboratory in Weybridge, England confirmed the diagnosis of
BSE.
In light of this finding, FSIS has concluded that, when APHIS takes
a surveillance sample, it would be prudent for FSIS inspection program
personnel not to apply the mark of inspection until the result from the
APHIS testing is received by FSIS and the establishment, and the result
is negative. Accordingly, FSIS will no longer allow these carcasses to
be marked ``Inspected and passed'' until the sample testing has been
completed, and the result is negative.
FSIS is issuing a Directive to its inspection program personnel
that sets out this course of action.
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 FSIS web page located 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 7, 2004.
Garry L. McKee,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 04-627 Filed 1-8-04; 1:43 pm]