•  This directive provides instructions to inspection program personnel (IPP), including Public Health Veterinarians (PHVs) and Consumer Safety Inspectors (CSIs), on selecting animals and performing chemical residue sample collection and testing procedures in accordance with the National Residue Program (NRP) for meat, and poultry products. This directive addresses the role of IPP in the collection of animal identification (ID) and producer information, in conducting in-plant residue screening tests, and in completing residue sampling tasks using the Public Health Information System (PHIS).
• This directive advises IPP about their responsibilities, as part of the NRP, to verify that the establishment is controlling residues in its food safety system. It also advises them on actions to take when a residue violation is suspected or identified through sampling, when a residue repeat violator is identified, and when an establishment fails to collect animal ID information or to maintain animal ID identifiable with the carcass pending FSIS residue test results.

KEY POINTS:

• IPP select carcasses for NRP scheduled (directed) sampling from all animals that pass antemortem inspection, regardless of post-mortem disposition.
• Establishments that do not have an effective residue control program in place in their Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system when slaughtering cull dairy cows and bob veal calves are targeted for in-plant testing for chemical residues at an increased rate.
• FSIS condemns an entire carcass and its parts when there is no Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established tolerance or action level for the identified chemical residue in muscle, whether the chemical residue is found in muscle, organ, or other tissue.
• IPP will take action in an establishment that receives animals from a producer who has been determined to have more than one (1) FSIS laboratory-confirmed residue violation within a twelve (12) month period.
• The Kidney Inhibition Swab (KIS™) test has replaced the Fast Antimicrobial Screen Test (FAST) in all slaughter establishments 
• FSIS laboratories now use multi-residue screening methods on tissue samples submitted from positive KIS™ tests.
• The sample size for muscle tissue collected for directed livestock and poultry residue samples submitted to FSIS Laboratories has increased from one (1) pound to two (2) pounds.
• FSIS requires livestock slaughter establishments to hold or control livestock carcasses and parts selected for FSIS directed residue testing and not to allow them to enter commerce until the FSIS laboratory reports negative or non-violative test results.

Related Information:

• KIS^TM Test Instructions (Oct 13, 2011) | Arabic | Chinese | Spanish | Vietnamese
• Examples of Official Ear Tags
• Additional Related Documents