Judge dismisses challenge to new US poultry inspection rules

A federal judge has rejected a federal lawsuit filed in September 2014 that urges the government to abandon its new poultry inspection rules. The primary plaintiff, Food & Water Watch, alleged the new poultry inspection rules would turn over key food safety inspection functions to poultry companies and would limit oversight by USDA inspectors.
In a detailed, 55-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson concluded Food & Water Watch lacked the legal standing to challenge the new rules issued by the Agriculture Department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), McClatchy reported.
The new rules give poultry plant operators a more active role in the inspection process. Obama administration officials say this is efficient. Critics say it’s giving the too much control to processors.
“Whatever the merits of the allegation that the new poultry-processing regulation is a policy that the USDA should never have adopted, this court finds that such ‘injury’ precisely the type of generalized grievance that Article III courts are not empowered to consider,” Jackson wrote in the court decision dated February 9.
The New Poultry Inspection System (NPIS) was approved in 2014 following years of study. NPIS requires poultry companies to take measures to prevent Salmonella and Campylobacter contamination, rather than addressing contamination after it occurs. It also requires for the first time that all poultry facilities perform their own microbiological testing at two points in their production process to show they are controlling Salmonella and Campylobacter. These requirements are in addition to testing from FSIS. FSIS estimates that the new rules will prevent up to 5,000 foodborne illnesses each year.

Vilsack names meat and poultry inspection committee members

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced the appointment of members to the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI) for the 2014-2016 term.
Established in 1971, the 17-member NACMPI meets on food safety concerns and advises the Secretary of Agriculture on matters affecting federal and state inspection program activities. It also contributes to USDA's regulatory policy development.
"The diverse perspectives on food safety that the advisory members bring are invaluable to our success in ensuring the safety of the foods we eat," said Vilsack. "I am firmly committed to aggressively decreasing the incidence of foodborne illnesses and these outstanding individuals will be instrumental in our work to protect the American people's food supply."
The new NACMPI members are: Dr. Michael Crupain, Consumer Product Safety and Sustainability; George Wilson, Wilson & Associates, LLC; Dr. Tanya Roberts, Center for Foodborne Illness Research and Prevention; Kurt Brandt, United Food and Commercial Workers International Union; Dr. Dustin Oedekoven, South Dakota Animal Industry Board; Dr. Krzysztof Mazurczak, Illinois Department of Agriculture; Michael Frances Link Jr., Ohio Department of Agriculture; Dr. Manpreet Singh, Purdue University; Dr. Randall K. Phebus, Kansas State University; Dr. Patricia Curtis, Auburn University; Brian Sapp, White Oak Pastures, Inc.; Sherri Jenkins, JBS, USA, LLC; Dr. Betsy Booren, American Meat Institute; Dr. Alice Johnson, Butterball, LLC.
Returning members are: Sherika Harvey, Mississippi Department of Agriculture; Dr. Carol L. Lorenzen, University of Missouri; Dr. Michael L. Rybolt, Hillshire Brands Company; Dr. John A. Marcy, University of Arkansas;and Christopher A. Waldrop, Consumer Federation of America.
NACMPI will host its next public meetings January 13-14, 2015.  Additional details and the meeting agenda are accessible at the NACMPI website.

USDA sued over new poultry inspection rule

Food & Water Watch has filed a federal lawsuit to stop the federal government from implementing the New Poultry Inspection System (NPIS) rules. The group alleges the new poultry inspection rules would turn over key food safety inspection functions to poultry companies and would limit oversight by USDA inspectors.
The new rule is slated to become effective October 20. It requires poultry companies to take measures to prevent Salmonella and Campylobacter contamination, rather than addressing contamination after it occurs. It also requires for the first time that all poultry facilities perform their own microbiological testing at two points in their production process to show they are controlling Salmonella and Campylobacter. These requirements are in addition to testing from the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). FSIS estimates that the new rule, when enforced, will prevent up to 5,000 foodborne illnesses each year.
However, Food & Water Watch has filed the suit because it believes the new poultry inspection rule will not protect the consumers.
“These rules essentially privatize poultry inspection, and pave the way for others in the meat industry to police themselves,” said Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch. “The USDA’s decision to embrace the scheme — an initiative lobbied for by the meat industry for more than a decade — flies in the face of the agency’s mandate to protect consumers. What’s more, we believe it’s illegal.”
In its lawsuit, Food & Water Watch claims the new inspection system violates the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA), a law passed in 1957 that gives USDA the authority to protect consumer health and welfare by assuring that poultry products are wholesome, not adulterated, and properly marked, labeled and packaged. The organization alleges that NPIS violates a number of statutory requirements, including the PPIA’s prescription that federal government inspectors, and not poultry slaughter establishment staff, are responsible for condemning adulterated young chicken and turkey carcasses. The suit states that the NPIS rules also violate the PPIA’s requirement that federal inspectors supervise slaughter establishment reprocessing, which is done to avoid the condemnation of adulterated birds.
The suit is being brought by Food & Water Watch, on behalf of itself and its members, and includes two other individual plaintiffs: Margaret Sowerwine and Jane Foran. Defendants include U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and other officials from USDA and FSIS.

USDA releases final version of poultry inspection rule

The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) on July 31 released its final rule on the inspection system for poultry products, known as the New Poultry Inspection System (NPIS). The rule, which will soon be published in the Federal Register, leaves the current regulations for line speeds unchanged and calls for poultry companies to meet new requirements to control Salmonella and Campylobacter.
The proposal for modernizing the poultry inspection system was first published on January 27, 2012, and FSIS received feedback from the public, as well as from interagency partners such as the Department of Labor. Specifically, USDA received numerous comments on the proposed rule related to line speeds' impact on worker safety, and it has partnered with the federal agencies responsible for worker safety to address those concerns.
Maximum line speeds remain capped at 140 birds per minute
In response to public comment, the maximum line speeds for plants that newly adopt the NPIS have remained capped at 140 birds per minute, consistent with the maximum speed under existing inspection programs. Additionally, all companies operating under the NPIS must maintain a program to encourage the early reporting of work-related injuries and illnesses, and FSIS employees will receive new instructions on how to report workplace hazards that may affect plant workers, including access to a confidential 1-800 number to report concerns directly to OSHA.
A proposal to increase line speeds had been strongly opposed by civil rights groups, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and as many as 68 members of Congress.
New requirements to prevent Salmonella and Campylobacter contamination
The agency calls the NPIS, a critical step forward in making chicken and turkey products safer for Americans to eat. Poultry companies will have to meet new requirements to control Salmonella and Campylobacter, and estimates that up to 5,000 foodborne illnesses will be prevented each year as a result of the NPIS, which positions food safety inspectors throughout poultry facilities in a smarter way.
According to FSIS, it will now require that all poultry companies take measures to prevent Salmonella and Campylobacter contamination, rather than addressing contamination after it occurs. Also for the first time ever, all poultry facilities will be required to perform their own microbiological testing at two points in their production process to show that they are controlling Salmonella and Campylobacter. These requirements are in addition to FSIS' own testing, which the agency will continue to perform.
"The United States has been relying on a poultry inspection model that dates back to 1957, while rates of foodborne illness due to Salmonella and Campylobacter remain stubbornly high. The system we are announcing today imposes stricter requirements on the poultry industry and places our trained inspectors where they can better ensure food is being processed safely. These improvements make use of sound science to modernize food safety procedures and prevent thousands of illnesses each year," U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a news release.
Optional NPIS
FSIS is also introducing the optional NPIS, in which poultry companies must sort their own product for quality defects before presenting it to FSIS inspectors. This system allows for FSIS inspectors to focus less on routine quality assurance tasks that have little relationship to preventing pathogens like Salmonella and instead focus more on strategies that are proven to strengthen food safety. More inspectors will now be available to more frequently remove birds from the evisceration line for close food safety examinations, take samples for testing, check plant sanitation, verify compliance with food safety plans, observe live birds for signs of disease or mistreatment, and ensuring plants are meeting all applicable regulations.
Poultry industry groups respond to new rule
Joel Brandenberger, president of the National Turkey Federation, applauded the USDA’s action on the inspections rule.
“USDA is to be commended for standing up for food safety in the face of significant pressure,” said Brandenberger. “Modernization of Poultry Slaughter Inspection provides additional tools to plants and federal inspectors to verify that plant food-safety programs are protecting against foodborne illness. By allowing plant employees to conduct some preliminary sorting duties, federal inspectors will be freed to further verify testing on the spot, examine sanitation standards and enforcing safeguards throughout a processing plant.”
However, Mike Brown, president of the National Chicken Council, accepted the news with mixed views.
"I applaud Secretary Vilsack and the food safety professionals at the Food Safety and Inspection Service for moving forward with this rule to modernize our poultry inspection system in order to improve food safety  –  the top priority for our industry," said Brown. "We look forward to reviewing the contents of the final rule and working with the department and our members on proper implementation should our members choose to opt in to the new, voluntary system.”
"Regarding line speeds: It is extremely unfortunate and disappointing that politics have trumped sound science, 15 years of food and worker safety data and a successful pilot program with plants operating at 175 birds per minute.  The rule also goes against global precedent, in which the limiting factors for line speeds are the ability to meet food safety standards, keeping workers safe, and the capability of the equipment to run effectively – not government regulations.  Broiler plants in Brazil, Argentina, Canada, Belgium and Germany, among others, all operate at line speeds of 200 or more birds per minute."

Public review of revised poultry inspection rule urged by union

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the nation's largest union of federal employees, says the public should be allowed to review and comment on the U.S Department of Agriculture’s plan to modernize the U.S. poultry inspection system before the rule takes effect. USDA submitted a revised version of the rule to the Office of Management and Budget on July 10, seeking final review and approval.
USDA officials have stated that "significant changes" have been made to the original proposed rule, which has been supported by poultry industry groups like the National Turkey Federation and the National Chicken Council, but criticized by AFGE and other labor and consumer groups. The changes have not been made public.
AFGE on July 17 sent a letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and Howard Shelanski, administrator of OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, urging a full public review of the rule before it is finalized. Specifically, AFGE is calling on the agencies to publish the revised version of the proposed rule, open it up for a 120-day public comment period, and hold public meetings on the revised proposed rule.
"Considering the importance of this rule, stakeholders and the public should be given the opportunity to comment on the 'significant changes' made to the proposed rule before it is finalized," AFGE Legislative and Political Director Beth Moten wrote.

National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection to host public meeting

The National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI) will host a public meeting January 7-8, 2014 to review and discuss safe handling instructions included on food labels. The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is also seeking feedback on its Establishment-Specific Data Release Strategic Plan.
The meeting will be held from 9 a.m.to 5 p.m. EST each day, and take place in the first floor auditorium of the Patriot Plaza III building, located at 355 E St., SW Washington, DC 20024.  Registration begins on site at 8:30 a.m. each day. Additional details and the meeting agenda are accessible at the NACMPI website.
FSIS wants the committee to fully explore enhancing the safe food handling label on meat and poultry packages and provide the agency with feedback. The agency will then consider whether or not the current safe handling instructions should be changed to meet the informational needs of consumers.  FSIS has also requested that the group review and provide further suggestions to its Establishment-Specific Data Release Strategic Plan that was developed from NACMPI recommendations in 2010.
FSIS welcomes comments through February 8, 2014, on the topics discussed at the NACMPI public meeting. Comments may be submitted via e-mail to: NACMPI@fsis.usda.gov or by mail to: National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection, USDA, FSIS, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Mail Stop 3778, Washington, DC 20250 or submitted via fax at: (202) 690-6519.

Ag committee members seek timeline on USDA poultry inspection proposal

Four members of the House Agriculture Committee have written to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, asking when the USDA plans to send a final version on the proposed poultry inspection rule to the administration. The House members also are asking when the agency plans to implement the new rules.
Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas, R-Okla., Vice Chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn.; and Congressional Chicken Caucus members Rick Crawford, R-Ark., and Jim Costa, D-Calif. signed the letter on November 15.
The program, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point-based Inspection Models Project, is already operating as a pilot in 20 chicken plants, five turkey plants and five hog plants in the United States, according to the Washington Post.
USDA officials say they are proposing the new system to improve food safety and increase efficiency in plants. USDA inspectors say they believe food safety will be compromised because processing line speeds are allowed to increase by 25 percent in poultry plants and 30 percent in hog plants. However, about 40 percent of government inspectors are expected to be replaced by employees of the poultry and meat plants.

1.5 tons of poultry meat seized in Israel

About 1.5 tons of poultry meat have been seized by the Israel Ministry of Agriculture's Enforcement and Investigations unit. There were two separate incidents where the poultry meat was being hauled in commercial vehicles that were not refrigerated or considered suitable for transporting meat.
One of the incidents took place at the exit from the village of Shfaram, while the other occurred at the Megiddo junction. In one case, the shipment had been designated for a butcher shop in Umm Al-Fahm, but the butcher refused to accept the poultry after inspecting it and deeming it unfit for consumption.
Both drivers were detained for interrogation, and the meat was sent to be destroyed.
"Due to our commitment to maintaining public health and preventing economic crime, the Ministry of Agriculture works tirelessly to prevent these types of actions," Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Yair Shamir stated in a press release.

Safe Meat and Poultry Act introduced in US Senate

The Safe Meat and Poultry Act, intended to reduce the number of foodbourne outbreaks, was introduced in the U.S. Senate on September 13 by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. Gillibrand says the legislation would strengthen the U.S. agriculture and food industry by updating the nation's meat and poultry inspection and consumer notification system.
According to Gillibrand, the chairwoman of the Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, Poultry, Marketing and Agriculture Security, the Safe Meat and Poultry Act would:

• Create mandatory pathogen reduction performance standards and expand the USDA's authority to create new pathogens
• Improve consumer notification for recalls of contaminated products
• Provide whistleblower protection for government and private workers in the food industry to report public health issues
• Safeguard the U.S. from unsafe foreign meat and poultry products by ensuring regular international audits by the Food Safety and Inspection Service
Gillibrand stated that a recent Government Accountability Office report found the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service was moving forward with an expanded poultry pilot without proper data collection and evaluation, which shows the need for the Safe Meat and Poultry Act.
"As I cook dinner for my family most nights, I want to know what I am serving is safe for my children to eat," said Gillibrand. "This legislation contains practical measures to ensure no American gambles with their health when purchasing poultry or meat products."

Finalization of modernized poultry inspection rule urged by House panel

During its consideration of the 2014 Agriculture and Rural Development Appropriations Bill, the full House Appropriations Committee adopted an amendment urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to move forward on its proposed rule to modernize poultry inspection.
The amendment, offered by Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., passed by voice vote with a bipartisan majority.
"Rep. Kingston and the members of the committee from both sides of the aisle are to be commended for their support of modernizing a poultry inspection system that has been in place since 1957," said National Chicken Council President Mike Brown. "In an effort to continue our progress towards reducing foodborne illnesses, we believe, and the committee recognizes, that the poultry inspection system should be modernized to transition to a model that is more science and risk-based."
A pilot program testing this system was put in place in 1999 in 20 chicken plants. It has since been studied, debated and reviewed in depth for more than a decade to assure its effectiveness as to how best modernize chicken inspection while improving food safety, protecting workers and better utilizing USDA resources.
The text of the amendment is: "The committee notes that the current poultry slaughter inspection system has been in place since 1957. On January 27, 2012, USDA proposed a science-based rule that would begin to replace this outdated approach and replace it with one that is based on pathogen reduction and control. USDA inspectors would monitor establishment process controls in removing diseased birds, ensure compliance with Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point plans and Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures, conduct ante-mortem inspection, and collect samples for pathogen testing. On-line inspectors will still conduct carcass-by-carcass inspection to ensure that diseased carcasses are condemned by establishment workers according to regulatory requirements. The committee believes that implementation of this system, that has been tested over 10 years, will lead to a reduction of pathogens in poultry and a corresponding reduction in foodborne illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths. The committee urges the department to finalize this rule."

Loss of poultry inspectors could create animal welfare, environmental issues

Furloughing federal poultry inspectors could have consequences that go way beyond the financial stability of processors and others in the industry, according to Joe Sanderson Jr., CEO of Sanderson Farms. Sanderson said a lack of inspectors would create an animal welfare issue and an environmental catastrophe.
“Without proper notice, that would be a terrible situation for us,” Sanderson said during a quarterly call with shareholders on February 21. “When you have birds that are 60 to 62 days old, scheduled to go to the plant, and all of the sudden you don’t have inspectors, and you leave those birds in the house 2 to 5 days longer, they crowd up, and they’re going to die. That’s your animal welfare issue.”
It becomes an environmental issue, he said, because producers and processors will then have decisions to make about how to get rid of the dead birds. There is also a concern of where the chicks coming out of the hatcheries are going to go, and will eggs have to be destroyed. “Are there enough landfills for all of that?" said Sanderson. "I don’t think they’ve thought about that in Washington."
The furloughing of inspectors is still a possibility until Congress and the White House come to an agreement to avoid sequestration. Without inspectors, processing plants cannot legally produce meat. Sanderson said on previous occasions when there was a government crisis or even shutdown, inspectors were still deemed essential and plants could still operate. He expressed optimism that even if sequestration occurs, poultry plants can continue to operate with the benefit of on-site federal inspectors. “We’re supposed to have our best and brightest there in Washington," he said. "They’ve been able to work these things out. I’m hopeful they’ll be able to get that done.”

US meat, poultry inspection committee members appointed

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has appointed members to the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection for the 2012–2014 term.
The new members are: Dr. Carol Lorenzen - University of Missouri; Sherika Harvey - Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce; Dr. John Marcy - University of Arkansas Center of Excellence for Poultry Science; Christopher Waldrop - Consumer Federation of America; and Dr. Michael Rybolt - Hillshire Brands Company.
Returning members of the committee are: Patricia Buck - Center for Foodborne Illness Research & Prevention; Dr. Fur-Chi Chen - Tennessee State University; Nancy J. Donley - STOP Foodborne Illness, Inc.; Dr. Veneranda Gapud - Process Management Consulting; Dr. Heidi Kassenborg, Minnesota Department of Agriculture; Sarah A. Klein - Center for Science in the Public Interest; Robert G. Reinhard - Hillshire Brands Company; Dr. Craig E. Shultz, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture; Dr. John Tilden - Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development; Steve E. Warshawer - Mesa Top Farm; Dr. J. Byron Williams, Mississippi State University; and Leonard W. Winchester - Public Health - Seattle and King County.
Established in 1971, the 17-member committee meets on food safety concerns and advises the Secretary of Agriculture on matters affecting federal and state inspection program activities. It also contributes to regulatory policy development.
The committee will host public meetings January 16–17 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.

National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection hosts public meeting

The National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection will host a two-day public meeting to review and discuss strengthening agency verification activities pertaining to veal and categorizing FSIS regulations as public health regulations.
According to Food Safety and Inspection Service test results, veal trimmings and ground beef produced from veal have a higher percentage of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli than do trimmings and ground beef produced from other cattle classes. FSIS is seeking feedback from the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection on improvements the agency can make to its verification activities of sanitary dressing and interventions and its compliance guidance in addressing veal slaughter operations. FSIS is also seeking feedback from committee on outreach strategies for communicating with the veal industry. FSIS has also revised its criteria for identifying regulations that are most closely related to public health outcomes and is seeking input from the committee on the criteria and feedback on the proposed approach.
The meeting will be held January 16-17, 2013, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Registration will begin on site at 8:30 a.m. each day.

FSIS welcomes comments through January 12, 2013, on the topics discussed at the public meeting. Comments may be submitted via email to: nacmpi@fsis.usda.gov or by mail to: National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection, USDA, FSIS, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Mail Stop 3778, Washington, DC 20250 or submitted via fax at: +1.202.690.6519.

National Chicken Council supports modernization of poultry inspection

The National Chicken Council has voiced its support for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service's proposed modernization of poultry slaughter inspection rule, saying that it believes such a rule will improve food safety and better protect public health.
The National Chicken Council said the proposal's success also depends on making additional clarifications and in illustrating how the rule will be implemented, such as:

• recommending necessary implementation procedures
• addressing the proposed sampling requirements
• recommending changes to the inspection process for ready-to-cook standards
• explaining why avian leukosis is not a condition of public health concern
• recommending special training regarding septicemic and toxemic conditions
• explaining why line speed should not be arbitrarily limited
• addressing worker safety concerns
• requesting clarification regarding online and offline antimicrobial use
• addressing chilling requirements
“NCC and our members are committed to poultry production operations that ensure a safe, wholesome and abundant supply of poultry products for both domestic and international markets, and the poultry slaughter inspection system plays an important role in this process,” said the council.

National Chicken Council: poultry inspection system will protect public

Proposed changes to the current U.S. poultry inspection system by the U.S. Department of Agriculture will better protect the public from foodborne illnesses by reducing reliance on old-fashioned visual and sensory inspection and moving to prevention-oriented inspection systems based on actual risk to consumers, according to the National Chicken Council. The council released a statement in response to a report by ABC News on April 18 that expressed concerns over the changes.
Studies by the National Academy of Sciences, the General Accounting Office and the USDA have established the need to modernize the poultry inspection program, and the proposed rule does that, said the council. As part of the changes:

• The USDA will remain in its oversight role and USDA inspectors will still be in every plant, looking at each chicken carcass to ensure the safety of chicken products and providing them with the USDA seal of approval for wholesomeness.
• Some USDA inspectors will be repositioned on inspection lines to play a greater role in the prevention of foodborne pathogens on chicken carcasses. These efforts will help better ensure that the vigorous testing and other protocols that companies have in place are working properly to prevent bacterial contamination.
"It is the goal and primary focus of the chicken industry and the USDA alike to provide consumers with safe, high quality and wholesome chicken," said Ashley Peterson, Ph.D., National Chicken Council vice president of science and technology. "This proposed rule does not change that goal." The council plans to provide detailed comments to the USDA regarding the proposed rule, outlining concerns and seeking clarification in some areas.

Groups claim that new poultry inspections process will negatively impact health, safety

Consumer watchdogs and federal food inspectors represented by the American Federation of Government Employees plan to deliver more than 150,000 petitions to the U.S. Department of Agriculture opposing proposed changes to the poultry inspections process that they say will impact the health and safety of the American public.
The groups will gather outside the USDA headquarters at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, April 20, to hand-deliver the petitions, which denounce a regulation proposed by the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service that would partially privatize the poultry inspections process and increase the number of birds federal inspectors must examine. "Budget cuts are driving the USDA to take this drastic step, which would reduce our highly trained teams of federal food safety inspectors to a skeleton crew who would have to review three birds every second — a humanly impossible task," said American Federation of Government Employees National President John Gage. "This is a recipe for putting diseased chickens right on our kitchen tables, and we are urging the USDA to reconsider this foolish and dangerous proposal."
The Poultry Science Association has said that it supports the inspection system updates, saying that while details still need to be worked out, technology has allowed for the inspection process to become more efficient, science-based and consumer-safety oriented.
More information on the petitions is available at www.LetThemEatChicken.com.

Oregon House passes bill allowing small poultry farms to butcher without inspection

The Oregon House has passed House Bill 2872A, which creates an exemption for farmers allowing them to butcher and process fewer than 1,000 of their own poultry without an inspection.
Under the current state law, farmers must process birds in a state-sanctioned facility built on their farm or take the poultry to a federally inspected plant. If the bill passes in the Senate and is signed into law by Oregon's governor, farmers would be saved the expense of traveling to the single approved processing plant in the area, as well as a $5.50-per-head processing fee, or the cost of building their own facility, which comes to roughly $70,000.
The bill stipulates that the birds butchered must be raised on the farm and sold directly to customers, either on-site, through meat-buying clubs or at farmers markets. "It is putting into statute an honor system," said Vance Bybee, head of food safety at the Oregon Department of Agriculture. "They are still expected to follow all the standards and mandates."

New York firm recalls various chicken products produced without inspection

N.Y. Gourmet Salads Inc., based in Brooklyn, N.Y., is recalling an undetermined amount of various chicken products because the products were produced without federal inspection, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced. The projects subject to recall are:
*5-pound tubs of "Chicken Salad, Made with All White Meat"
*5-pound tubs of "Grilled Chicken Pasta & Broccoli"
*3-pound trays with six wraps of "Chicken W/Roasted Pepper & Mozzarella Wrap"
*5-pound trays of "Grilled Boneless Chicken Breast Cutlet"
*5-pound trays of "Teriyaki Chicken Breast"
The chicken products were produced intermittently between November 5, 2009, and March 10, 2010, and were distributed to retail establishments in the New York City metropolitan area. Each chicken product bears the establishment number "P-34440" inside the USDA mark of inspection. Consumers may have purchased these chicken products at supermarkets deli counters. The problem was discovered by FSIS and is part of an ongoing investigation. FSIS has received no reports of illness due to consumption of these products.