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The USDA announced Tuesday a final rule to modernize the inspection of hog slaughter. For the first time in more than 50 years, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is modernizing inspection in commercial hog slaughterhouses to protect public health and enable innovations in food safety.
The final rule is the culmination of a rule-making process based on scientific data. According to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, the rule builds on improvements made in 1997 to food security after the USDA put in place a preventive control system to the area.
"This regulatory change allows us to ensure food security while eliminating outdated rules and allowing companies to innovate," said Perdue in a statement.
The rule provides for new requirements for microbial testing applicable to all hog slaughterhouses, demonstrating that they control pathogens throughout the slaughter system. In addition, FSIS is currently amending its meat inspection bylaws to establish a new inspection system for hog establishments on the market, called the New Pig Slaughter Inspection System (NSIS).
FSIS will require all hog establishments to develop written health dressing plans and implement microbial sampling to monitor process control for enteric pathogens that can cause foodborne illness. The final rule also allows pork establishments in the market to choose whether they will operate under the NSIS or will continue to operate under a traditional inspection, said the USDA in a press release. .
"We commend the USDA for introducing a new inspection system that encourages investment in new technologies while ensuring a secure supply of healthy US pork," said the President of the National Council of pork producers, David Herring, a producer from Lillington, North Carolina. the envy of the world, as we continually adopt new practices and technologies while improving security, quality and consistency. This new inspection system codifies the advances we have made to the law, reflecting a 21st century industry. "
FSIS will continue to carry out a 100% inspection of animals prior to slaughter and a 100% carcass carcass inspection in accordance with the Congress mandate. FSIS inspectors will also retain the power to stop or slow down the chain if necessary to ensure food safety and inspection. As part of the NSIS, FSIS off-line inspectors will carry out more food safety and humane handling tasks to protect food and animal welfare.
The NSIS, which has been tested in five pork processing plants, was developed after many years of research and evaluation and has recently been endorsed by the National Association of Federal Veterinarians in recognition of the strong scientific approach used to design the program.
"The US industry has long been a world leader in providing the highest quality, safest and most affordable pork meat for consumers here and there. We are proud of our record and we welcome this program to further modernize our production process, "Herring said.
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