
Constituent Update - March 11, 2022
USDA Announces Additional Funding Opportunity for Meat and Poultry Processors
USDA’s Rural Development is making available $150 million in grants to help meat and poultry processors expand their capacity and market options through the Meat and Poultry Processors Expansion Program (MPPEP). USDA is offering grants of up to $25 million each to help fund projects aimed at increasing demand for animals, increasing opportunities for producers to access value-added markets, improving the viability of an existing processing operation, or otherwise expanding their processing capacity.
USDA encourages applications that benefit smaller and new and beginning processors, Tribes and tribal producers, socially disadvantaged producers, military veteran producers, and underserved communities.
Eligible applicants must process, or plan to process, one or more species subject to the Federal Meat Inspection Act or the Poultry Products Inspection Act. Applicants must also have, or plan to apply for, a Federal Grant of Inspection through FSIS or under the Cooperative Interstate Shipment Program, or a federal equivalent under a Tribal or state meat and poultry inspection program.
On February 28 and March 7, 2022, Rural Development held public informational webinars to discuss the MPPEP and application requirements. To access the webinar slides, or for other information on the program, visit the MPPEP website. Questions may be submitted through the website or sent to MPPEP@usda.gov.
All application materials can be found on the MPPEP website or at Grants.gov. Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. ET on April 11, 2022, through Grants.gov.
Reminder: Deadline to Submit Forms for Reduced Overtime Inspection Fees
In the American Rescue Plan Act, enacted on March 11, 2021, Congress provided FSIS with $100 million in budget authority to reduce the costs of overtime inspection for small and very small official meat and poultry establishments and egg products plants. FSIS has implemented this provision by reducing overtime and holiday inspection fees for small establishments by 30 percent and very small establishments by 75 percent. FSIS developed an Overtime/Holiday Rate Reduction form that official establishments must submit to request an overtime or holiday inspection fee reduction.
As noted in the July 15 Federal Register notice, establishments that submit their forms by March 11, 2022, and that qualify for a fee reduction will receive a partial refund for overtime and holiday inspection fees paid since October 11, 2020. Establishments must submit their forms by the due date to be eligible to receive a refund.
Small and very small establishments should submit their completed forms to the FSIS inspection personnel assigned to their establishment or, alternatively, FAX the completed form to the appropriate FSIS District Office, “Attention Grant Curator.” For more information, visit the FSIS website.
FSIS to Host Webinar on Cooperative Agreement Proposals for Salmonella Risk Assessments
FSIS will host a webinar on March 18, 2022, from 1–2 p.m. ET to review and answer questions about the agency’s cooperative agreement announcement seeking collaborators on two risk assessments. The risk assessments are for Salmonella in chicken and Salmonella in turkey. This link will take you to the meeting. Pre-registration is not required.
The announcement was posted on Grants.gov on March 2, 2022. One award will be made for both risk assessments. Proposals must be submitted to FSIS by April 15, 2022.
FSIS Proposes to Rescind Avian Leukosis Regulation
FSIS is proposing to rescind an old regulation that requires the condemnation of poultry carcasses affected with avian leukosis. FSIS is modernizing its policies to keep up with the science and current veterinary knowledge, which confirm leukosis is an exceedingly rare condition and presents no human health concern. Current scientific evidence supports treating avian leukosis as a trimmable condition, consistent with how FSIS addresses other animal diseases and conditions such as arthritis, bruises, and abscesses.
Over the last few decades, infection with avian leukosis has become infrequent or absent in certain commercial flocks. Based on agency data from 2015 to 2019, less than 0.01 percent of total young chicken slaughtered are condemned every year for leukosis.
FSIS is proposing to address leukosis as it does any other localized tumors or defects. Per federal regulations, any organ or part affected by a localized tumor is adulterated and, therefore, must be trimmed by establishment employees and condemned. Unaffected parts of carcasses could then be inspected and passed.
The proposed rule has been sent to the Federal Register and is expected to publish on Monday, March 14, 2022. It will be available here. FSIS will accept comments on the proposed rule on or before May 13, 2022.
FSIS Announces Retail Exemption Adjusted Dollar Limitations
FSIS is announcing the dollar limitations on the amount of meat and meat food products and poultry and poultry products that a retail store can sell to hotels, restaurants, and similar institutions without disqualifying itself for exemption from federal inspection requirements. In accordance with FSIS' regulations, for calendar year 2022, the value for the retail dollar limitation for meat and meat food products (including Siluriformes fish and fish products) is $91,400, and the value for the retail dollar limitation for poultry and poultry products is $62,800.
The notice has been sent to the Federal Register and is expected to publish on Monday, March 14, 2022. It will be available here.
Export Certificates for Canada to be Generated in PHIS
Starting June 13, 2022, export certificates for meat and poultry products (excluding casings and egg products) exported to Canada will be generated in FSIS’ Public Health Information System (PHIS). All export certificates generated through PHIS will be digitally signed (FSIS Form 9060-5 series) and printed by industry personnel with PHIS access or printed by FSIS inspection program personnel at industry’s request on plain paper. For more information on the new printing procedures for digitally signed PHIS export certificates—launching May 16, 2022—please view the February 25, 2022 Constituent Update.
FSIS has published a World Trade Organization notification to inform countries of this change (G/SPS/N/USA/3311). Attestations required for U.S.-origin poultry further processed in Canada for export to Japan or Mexico, will be captured in the 9060-5 remarks and/or 9060-5B continuation sheet, as will all other attestations identified in the FSIS Export Library.
Industry is encouraged to use the Industry Test Environment (ITE) to test application submittals for export to Canada. Please note that Electronic Authorization (eAuth) level 2 is required for all persons that will access PHIS, both the test environment and the live production environment. Login credentials would have expired for those who have not used PHIS in 60 days. For those new to PHIS-export or with an expired eAuth level 2, please log in to initiate, update, or complete the eAuth level 2 and PHIS enrollment process.
For further guidance on PHIS export and enrollment, please refer to the following user guides:
- PHIS Industry User Guide
- Editing 9060 Records Quick Reference Guide
- PHIS Quick Reference Guide for Corporate and Establishment Management
Please contact askFSIS with policy questions regarding these changes. Technical questions can be directed to PHISTechnicalQA@usda.gov.
FSIS to Update Pesticide Screening Method
FSIS plans to update its Chemistry Laboratory Guidebook method CLG-PST5, “Screening for Pesticides by LC/MS/MS and GC/MS/MS”. Effective April 1, 2022, the update will reduce sample preparation time by using a new sample blending process on all National Residue Program samples.
The new blending process does not require dry ice, thereby increasing laboratory efficiency, and has no adverse impacts on method performance. Stakeholders will benefit by having pesticide results reported up to one day sooner. This new process will also improve laboratory health and safety since dry ice can present burn and inhalation hazards. The updated method will be available on the FSIS Chemistry Laboratory Guidebook website on April 1, 2022.
FSIS to Post Updated Dataset on Import Refusals
On March 15, 2022, FSIS will update the publicly posted dataset on import refusals for products that the agency regulates. Federal law requires every commercial shipment of imported meat, poultry, and egg products to be reinspected prior to product entering U.S. commerce. FSIS reinspects each shipment to verify labeling, proper certification, general condition, and any signs of tampering and to identify product adulterated by transportation damage. FSIS also performs additional activities on a random and/or for-cause basis, such as physical product examination and laboratory sampling for pathogens and chemical residues.
Any product that does not meet FSIS requirements is refused entry, and the importer has up to 45 days (30 days for egg products) to have the product destroyed for use as human food, re-exported/returned to the foreign country, converted to animal food, or brought into compliance with FSIS requirements, if applicable (e.g., relabeled, remarked, or issued a replacement certificate).
This dataset is updated around the 15th of each month and contains each shipment with product that was refused entry. To access these datasets or view more information about them, please visit the Import and Export Data page.
Policy Update
FSIS notices and directives on public health and regulatory issues are available on the FSIS Policy webpage. The following policy updates were recently issued:
FSIS Notice 12-22 - Procedures for Work-Related Fatalities, Injury, and Illness Recordkeeping and Annual Reporting Requirements
FSIS Notice 13-22 - Annual Notice to High Mileage Drivers - FY23
FSIS Directive 10230.6 - Submitting Tissue Specimens for Pathologic Evaluation to the Laboratory - Revision 1
Export Requirements Update
The Library of Export Requirements has been updated for products for the following:
- Azerbaijan
- Barbados
- Belarus
- Benin
- Canada
- Chile
- China
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Cuba
- Curacao
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- European Union
- French Polynesia (Tahiti)
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Hong Kong
- India
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kiribati
- Korea
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Morocco
- Myanmar
- Namibia
- New Caledonia
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- North Macedonia
- Peru
- Qatar
- Singapore
- Solomon Islands
- South Africa
- St. Lucia
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Tunisia
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- Uruguay
- Vietnam
- Western Samoa (Samoa)
Complete information can be found at the FSIS Import & Export Library.