I. PURPOSE

This directive establishes that the FSIS Office of Policy and Program Development (OPPD) clears through the Agency and signs all FSIS Directives and Notices, including those in the 1,000 to 4,000 series.

II. CANCELLATION

This directive cancels FSIS Directive 2610.1, Revision 6, dated 4/23/12.

III. DIRECTIVES AND NOTICES

A. FSIS Directives provide specific instructions or establish new procedures that Agency personnel need to follow to implement FSIS requirements, such as the FSIS regulations and Office of Personnel Management (OPM) policy. Directives provide instructions to FSIS personnel, not the public or industry. Directives identify the specific Agency personnel that are to carry out the activities in the directive. Directives are effective until canceled by another directive or notice.

B. FSIS Notices provide clarifying or temporary instructions. Notices expire one year after issuance. When notices are issued to provide instructions that will ultimately be included in a directive but are likely to change, the work on the implementing directive is to begin as soon as possible after FSIS has issued the notice. When necessary, FSIS reissues notices after a year.

IV. NUMBERING FOR DIRECTIVES AND NOTICES

A. FSIS Directives are numbered within a series of 1,000 to 13,000. The following describes each series: 1,000: FSIS Infrastructure. This series provides general information on FSIS organizational structure, information resource management, audits, and communications. 2,000: Administrative Services. This series provides information about FSIS administrative activities, such as purchasing, property management, and records management. 3,000: Budget and Finance. This series addresses all aspects of the FSIS budget process, accounting, travel, and disbursements and collections.

4,000: Personnel. This series addresses all human resource and personnel functions of FSIS. 5,000: Program Services. This series addresses inspection and other procedures related to grants of inspection, HACCP, and State cooperative programs.

6,000: Slaughter Inspection. This series addresses ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection, including issues involving zero-tolerance for fecal material, use of anti-microbials, carcass spraying, and humane handling.

7,000: Processed Products and Labeling. This series addresses inspection activities related to performance standards for processed products and labeling issues.

8,000: Compliance, Investigations, and Enforcement. This series addresses in-commerce surveillance, investigations, documentation of investigations, recalls, detentions, seizures, and enforcement actions.

9,000: Exports and Imports. This series addresses inspection and audit procedures related to exports and imports.

10,000: Laboratory Services. This series addresses inspection procedures related to sampling and testing programs and sample seals.

11,000: Equipment and New Technologies. This series addresses inspection procedures related to establishment’s use of new technologies.

12,000: Voluntary Inspection. This series addresses voluntary reimbursable inspection services.

13,000: Public Health Information System (PHIS). This series includes instructions related to PHIS.

B. Notices are assigned a two-part number. The first part reflects the sequence in which the notice was signed and the second part the calendar year (i.e., 01-13, 02-13).

V. DIRECTIVE AND NOTICE DEVELOPMENT

A. The Issuances Staff (IS), OPPD, manages the clearance and issuance of directives and notices. However, team leaders for a directive or notice may be from other divisions in OPPD or other program areas in the Agency.

B. Team leaders are responsible for working with an IS representative and the necessary subject matter experts (SMEs) within the Agency’s program areas to develop the necessary instructions for the issuance. The team leader is responsible for keeping the SMEs involved and informed about the status of the issuance’s development and clearance.

C. SMEs are responsible for keeping their program area supervisor informed about the development and status of issuances on which they are working.

D. The team leader is responsible for addressing comments received on the issuance during the clearance process and is to work with the appropriate SME to address comments received from a program area. The team leader is also responsible for explaining to a program area why he or she did not take certain comments.

E. Team leaders can obtain copies of the FSIS Issuance Style Manual and the Clearance Process for Issuances from the OPPD Sharepoint site or by contacting the IS facilitator. 

VI. CLEARANCE PROCESS

A. The IS facilitator is responsible for managing the directive or notice through the clearance process. The IS facilitator obtains clearance from the following:

1. OPPD Directors;

2. OPPD Assistant Administrator (AA);

3. All FSIS AAs, Chief Human Resources Officer, and Civil Rights director; and

4. The Office of the Administrator (OA).

B. The IS facilitator is to provide an appropriate amount of time for program areas to review and comment on documents.

C. Each program area is to send its concurrence, non-concurrence, or any comments to the IS facilitator.

D. The IS facilitator is to forward comments to the team leader, who is to address the comment as set out in section V D above.

E. After the team leader provides IS facilitator with the final version, the IS facilitator obtains clearance from the OA.

F. Once cleared by the OA, the facilitator sends the directive or notice to the OPPD AA for signature.

G. After the directive or notice is signed, the IS facilitator issues it electronically to all FSIS employees. The Web Services Staff posts the directive or notice on the FSIS web site Regulations Page.

This site provides the current directives and notices. Directives and notices found elsewhere on the FSIS web site may not be current.

VII. QUESTIONS

Refer questions regarding this directive through supervisory channels.