Notice of Request To Renew an Approved Information Collection: Interstate Shipment of Meat and Poultry Products
| Published date | 01 October 2019 |
| Record Number | 2019-21298 |
| Section | Notices |
| Court | Agriculture Department,Food Safety And Inspection Service |
Federal Register, Volume 84 Issue 190 (Tuesday, October 1, 2019)
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 190 (Tuesday, October 1, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52060-52061]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-21298]
========================================================================
Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
appearing in this section.
========================================================================
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 190 / Tuesday, October 1, 2019 /
Notices
[[Page 52060]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. FSIS-2019-0020]
Notice of Request To Renew an Approved Information Collection:
Interstate Shipment of Meat and Poultry Products
AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, the Food Safety and
Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing its intention to renew the
approved information collection regarding the voluntary cooperative
interstate shipment program. The approval for this information
collection will expire on January 31, 2020. FSIS has reduced the
estimated burden in this information collection by 1,272 hours due to a
reduction in the number of participating States.
DATES: Submit comments on or before December 2, 2019.
ADDRESSES: FSIS invites interested persons to submit comments on this
Federal Register notice. Comments may be submitted by one of the
following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: This website provides
commenters the ability to type short comments directly into the comment
field on the web page or to attach a file for lengthier comments. Go to
http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line instructions at that
site for submitting comments.
Mail, including CD-ROMs, etc.: Send to Docket Clerk, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, 1400
Independence Avenue SW, Mailstop 3758, Room 6065, Washington, DC 20250-
3700.
Hand- or courier-delivered submittals: Deliver to 1400
Independence Avenue SW, Room 6065, Washington, DC 20250-3700.
Instructions: All items submitted by mail or electronic mail must
include the Agency name and docket number FSIS-2019-0020. Comments
received in response to this docket will be made available for public
inspection and posted without change, including any personal
information, to http://www.regulations.gov.
Docket: For access to background documents or comments received,
call (202) 720-5627 to schedule a time to visit the FSIS Docket Room at
1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room 6065, Washington, DC 20250-3700.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gina Kouba, Office of Policy and
Program Development, Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA, 1400
Independence Avenue SW, Room 6065, South Building, Washington, DC
20250-3700; (202) 720-5627.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Interstate Shipment of Meat and Poultry.
OMB Control Number: 0583-0143.
Expiration Date: 1/31/2020.
Type of Request: Renewal of an approved information collection.
Abstract: FSIS has been delegated the authority to exercise the
functions of the Secretary (7 CFR 2.18, 2.53), as specified in the
Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) (21 U.S.C. 601, et seq.) and the
Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA) (21 U.S.C. 451, et seq.). FSIS
protects the public by verifying that meat and poultry products are
safe, wholesome, not adulterated, and correctly labeled.
FSIS administers a voluntary cooperative inspection program under
which State-inspected establishments in participating states with 25 or
fewer employees are eligible to ship meat and poultry products in
interstate commerce (21 U.S.C. 683 and U.S.C. 472) (9 CFR 321.3, Part
332, 381.187, and Part 381 Subpart Z). In participating States, State-
inspected establishments selected to take part in this program are
required to comply with all Federal standards under the FMIA and the
PPIA, as well as with all State standards. These establishments receive
inspection services from State inspection personnel that have been
trained in the enforcement of the FMIA and PPIA.
Meat and poultry products produced under the program that have been
inspected and passed by designated State personnel bear an official
Federal mark of inspection and are permitted to be distributed in
interstate commerce and exported to foreign countries. FSIS provides
oversight and enforcement of the program.
States that are interested in participating in the cooperative
interstate shipment program need to submit a request for an agreement
to establish such a program through the appropriate FSIS District
Office (9 CFR 332.4 and 381.514). In its request, a State must agree to
comply with certain conditions in order to qualify for the interstate
shipment program. The State must also: (1) Identify establishments in
the State that the State recommends for initial selection into the
program, if any, and (2) include documentation to demonstrate that the
State is able to provide necessary inspection services to selected
establishments in the State and conduct any related activities that
would be required under a cooperative interstate shipment program. FSIS
will review the State's request to determine whether to approve the
State to participate in the cooperative interstate shipment program.
If a State determines that an establishment qualifies to
participate in the cooperative interstate shipment program, and the
State is able, and willing, to provide the necessary inspection
services at the establishment, the State is to submit its evaluation of
the establishment to the FSIS District Office that covers the State (74
FR 24729).
FSIS, in coordination with the State, will then decide whether to
select the establishments for the program. Establishments that qualify
for this program must meet all requirements under the FMIA or PPIA, and
implementing regulations, including FSIS requirements for recordkeeping
(9 CFR 332.5 and 381.515). Most State-inspected establishments will
already have met these recordkeeping requirements, but some
establishments will need to make minor adjustments to their
recordkeeping in order to meet FSIS requirements.
The FSIS selected establishment coordinator (SEC) is responsible
for overseeing a State's cooperative inspection program. The SEC will
visit
[[Page 52061]]
each selected establishment in the State on a regular basis to verify
that the establishment is operating in a manner that is consistent with
the FMIA or PPIA and the implementing regulations (9 CFR 332.7 and
381.517).
The approval for this information collection will expire on January
31, 2020. FSIS has reduced the estimated burden in this information
collection by 1,272 hours due to a reduction in the number of
participating States. FSIS has made the following estimates based on an
information collection assessment.
Estimate of Burden: FSIS estimates that it will take each new State
an average of 40 hours to prepare and submit a request to establish a
cooperative interstate shipment program.
FSIS estimates that it will take each State 24 hours to prepare and
submit an evaluation for each new establishment entering the program.
FSIS estimates that States will submit approximately 3 evaluations per
year.
FSIS estimates that 15 establishments per year, out of the current
60 participating establishments, will spend 16 hours to modify their
recordkeeping procedures to comply with Federal standards and 5 minutes
per establishment to file these records. The State will need to provide
these records during the initial verification visit when the FSIS SEC
verifies the State nomination to select the establishment into the
program. FSIS estimates 15 minutes per establishment to provide the
records for the verification assessment.
Respondents: States and establishments.
Estimated No. of Respondents: 7 states and 60 establishments.
Estimated No. of Annual Responses per Respondent: FSIS estimates
there will be one request per each new State to establish a cooperative
interstate shipment program per year. There will be a one-time
modification of records for each newly selected establishment whose
recordkeeping does not comply with all Federal standards. The total
number of estimated annual responses is 777.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 733 hours.
Copies of this information collection assessment can be obtained from
Gina Kouba, Office of Policy and Program Development, Food Safety and
Inspection Service, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room 6065, South
Building, Washington, DC 20250-3700; (202) 720-5627.
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper performance of FSIS's
functions, including whether the information will have practical
utility; (b) the accuracy of FSIS's estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information, including the validity of the
method and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility,
and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to
minimize the burden of the collection of information, including through
the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other
technological collection techniques, or other forms of information
technology. Comments may be sent to both FSIS, at the addresses
provided above, and the Desk Officer for Agriculture, Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget
(OMB), Washington, DC 20253.
Responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the
request for OMB approval. All comments will also become a matter of
public record.
Additional Public Notification
Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy
development is important. Consequently, FSIS will announce this Federal
Register publication on-line through the FSIS web page located at:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/federal-register.
FSIS will also announce and provide a link to this Federal Register
publication through the FSIS Constituent Update, which is used to
provide information regarding FSIS policies, procedures, regulations,
Federal Register notices, FSIS public meetings, and other types of
information that could affect or would be of interest to our
constituents and stakeholders. The Constituent Update is available on
the FSIS web page. Through the web page, FSIS can provide information
to a much broader, more diverse audience. In addition, FSIS offers an
email subscription service which provides automatic and customized
access to selected food safety news and information. This service is
available at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/subscribe. Options range from
recalls to export information, regulations, directives, and notices.
Customers can add or delete subscriptions themselves and have the
option to password protect their accounts.
USDA Non-Discrimination Statement
No agency, officer, or employee of the USDA shall, on the grounds
of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual
orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status,
income derived from a public assistance program, or political beliefs,
exclude from participation in, deny the benefits of, or subject to
discrimination any person in the United States under any program or
activity conducted by the USDA.
How To File a Complaint of Discrimination
To file a complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program
Discrimination Complaint Form, which may be accessed online at http://www.ocio.usda.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2012/Complain_combined
_6_8_12.pdf, or write a letter signed by you or your authorized
representative.
Send your completed complaint form or letter to USDA by mail, fax,
or email:
Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of
Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410,
Fax: (202) 690-7442, Email: [email protected]
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for
communication (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.), should contact
USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).
Done at Washington, DC.
Carmen M. Rottenberg,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2019-21298 Filed 9-30-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P
