Category: Issue 393
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APHIS Schedules Bovine TB and Brucellosis Meetings
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS) will hold meetings in four states “to provide an opportunity for stakeholders to offer their input on a new framework being developed for the bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis programs in the United States.” The May 19, 2011, meeting will be held in Lansing, Michigan;…
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National Organic Program Issues Four Final Guidance Documents
The National Organic Program (NOP) has announced the availability of four final guidance documents to help accredited certifying agents and certified operations comply with NOP regulations. Titled “Compost and Vermicompost in Organic Crop Production (NOP 5021),” “Wild Crop Harvesting (NOP 5022),’’ ‘‘Commingling and Contamination Prevention in Organic Production and Handling (NOP 5025),’’ and ‘‘The Use…
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FSIS Final Rule Establishes Cooperative Meat & Poultry Inspection Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has published a final rule establishing a new voluntary cooperative program that will permit state-inspected establishments with fewer than 25 employees “to ship meat and poultry products in interstate commerce.” Under the program, which will be administered by state inspectors, selected establishments must…
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AMS Proposes Leafy Green Marketing Agreement
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (UDSA’s) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has issued a proposed rule that would establish a voluntary National Leafy Green Marketing Agreement (NLGMA) “to regulate the handling of leafy green vegetables, including but limited to lettuce, spinach, and cabbage.” According to AMS, the proposed agreement would “authorize the development and implementation of…
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GAO Report Suggests School-Meals Safety Initiatives
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a report recommending how the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) could improve the safety of school meals purchased through its commodities program. The report recommends that USDA instruct the commodity program to (i) “develop a systematic and transparent process to determine whether foods offered by the program…