INTERIM NOTICE FOR VOLUNTARY INSPECTION AND CERTIFICATION OF NATURAL CASINGS
 

This notice advises inspection program personnel of certain interim measures that the FSIS is implementing to facilitate compliance by the natural casings industry with the Agency’s expectations in its voluntary, fee for service program under 9 CFR Part 350 for the inspection of casings and the certification of casings for export. These measures are to be implemented by FSIS personnel beginning on November 17, 2006, and they will expire on February 15, 2007.

Since June 2006, FSIS has issued a series of notices designed to bring the inspection and certification services that the Agency performs on a fee for service basis under 9 CFR Part 350 in line with other inspection activities that the Agency performs, particularly those that may result in the application of the mark of inspection. After the issuance of the most recent FSIS Notice on casings, FSIS Notice 69-06 (preceded by FSIS Notices 34-06, 45-06 and 64-06), the casings industry approached USDA and advised that the industry was having difficulty making the numerous changes in its business practices that were necessary for casings to continue to receive the mark of inspection and be certified for export. Therefore, the industry asked that it be given time to adjust its business practices.

Because Part 350 is a voluntary program that is designed to facilitate the movement of product in commerce, the Agency has decided that it is appropriate to provide a transitional period to the industry to facilitate its efforts to comply with the Agency’s expectations under Part 350. During this interim 90-day period:

1. Inspection program personnel may permit the application of approved labels bearing the mark of inspection to natural casings at facilities where the casings are cleaned and otherwise prepared, without regard to whether the casings are derived from intestines that received the mark of inspection, provided that the facility presents documentation (e.g., bills of lading) to establish that the casings were shipped from a slaughter establishment in the United States (U.S.) where the carcasses from which the casings were derived were federally inspected and passed (see 9 CFR 350.2(i)).
    
2. If requested by a casings facility, inspection program personnel may sign FSIS Form 9060-7 even if the casings do not bear the mark of inspection, provided FSIS inspection personnel can find that the statements in the certification are true. Documentation accompanying the shipment of such casings must substantiate that the casings were derived from animals that received and passed ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection in the U.S. or in a country with an inspection system equivalent to the U.S. system.
    
3. During the 90-day interim period, the Agency will reinstate the provision that was in the Export Library regarding the export of casings to Canada as it was before November 1, 2006. Therefore, until February 15, 2007, inspection program personnel are to permit the casings to be marked “inspected and passed” and sign the export certificate FSIS Form 9135-3 for the export of casings to Canada.
    
4. Other natural casings originating in foreign countries with inspection systems equivalent to that of the U.S. (and the establishment that exports these casings is on the list of establishments permitted to export to the U.S.) can be certified for re-export by means of FSIS Form 9060-18 provided the exporter can present documentation supporting the statements on the certificate. (This interim notice does not affect the long- standing policy regarding the re-export of imported casings.)

Philip S. Derfler /s/

Assistant Administrator
Office of Policy, Program, and Employee Development