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Constituent Update - July 7, 2023

Regulatory

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The following press release was published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service on July 7. It is reproduced in full below.

FSIS will continue its overtime and holiday inspection fee reduction program until Sept. 30, 2023, utilizing FY 2023 appropriated funds.

In the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), Congress provided FSIS with $100 million to support small and very small establishments by reducing overtime and holiday inspection fees. As of June 2023, over 2,900 small and very small establishments have benefited from the program.

The unused ARPA funds for overtime and holiday inspection fees were rescinded as part of the debt ceiling agreement. FSIS will keep stakeholders updated on the future of the program beyond FY 2023.

FSIS to Post Quarterly Updates to Establishment-Specific Datasets

Today, FSIS publicly posted quarterly updates to the following establishment-specific datasets on laboratory sampling and inspection tasks:

Establishment-specific Datasets on Laboratory Sampling

* Egg Product Sampling Data

* Intensified Verification Testing Data

* Raw Beef Sampling Data

* Raw Chicken Carcasses Sampling Data

* Raw Chicken Parts Sampling Data

* Raw Comminuted Chicken Sampling Data

* Raw Comminuted Turkey Sampling Data

* Raw Turkey Carcasses Sampling Data

* Raw Pork Products Sampling Data

* Raw Poultry Follow-up Sampling Data

* Ready-to-Eat (RTE) Meat and Poultry Sampling Data

* Risk-basedListeria monocytogenesSampling Data

* Siluriformes Product Sampling Data

* Exploratory and Special Program Poultry Sampling Data

Establishment-specific data on tested product contained in laboratory sampling results datasets are not sufficient to determine an association with human illnesses. Further epidemiologic information is needed to determine if there is an association between the non-clinical isolates and human illnesses.

Establishment-specific Datasets on Inspection Tasks

* Livestock Humane Handling Inspection Tasks

* Poultry Good Commercial Practices Inspection Tasks

FSIS updated its redaction guidelines and is no longer redacting roles (e.g., Supervisory Public Health Veterinarian, plant owner) or titles (e.g., Dr., Jr., Mr.), and has updated the Inspection Task Current and Archive files to reflect these changes.

Available for Public Comment

FSIS seeks public comments on proposed rules and notices, which are viewable on the FSISFederal Register & Rulemaking webpage. FSIS is currently seeking comments on the following:

* Until July 11: Notice of Request for a New Information Collection: Consumer Labeling Research: Focus Groups

* Until July 27:Salmonellain Not-Ready-To-Eat Breaded Stuffed Chicken Products

* Until August 29: Notice of Request To Revise an Approved Information Collection: Accreditation of Laboratories, Transactions and Exemptions

Policy Update

FSIS notices and directives on public health and regulatory issues are available on theFSIS Policy webpage. The following policy update was recently issued:

FSIS Directive 1040.1 - The FSIS Enterprise Governance Decision-Making Process - Revision 2

Export Requirements Update

The Library of Export Requirements has been updated for products for the following:

* Solomon Islands

* Kiribati

* New Caledonia

* Canada

* India

* Western Samoa (Samoa)

* Brazil

* French Polynesia (Tahiti)

* Vietnam

* Japan

* Mexico

* Taiwan

Complete information can be found at theFSIS Import & Export Library.

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service

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