[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 207 (Wednesday, October 25, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63840-63841]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-27412]


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 Notices
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 207 / Wednesday, October 25, 2000 / 
Notices  

[[Page 63840]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

[PY-00-001]


U.S. Trade Descriptions for Poultry

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of publication of U.S. Trade Description Tentative 
Standards for Poultry with request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is publishing the 
United States (U.S.) Trade Descriptions for Poultry. The U.S. Trade 
Descriptions for Poultry establish voluntary trade standards for ready-
to-cook chicken products produced in the U.S. The descriptions are 
intended to facilitate wholesale trading of poultry by providing a tool 
to better communicate product and packaging requirements among buyers 
and sellers. Comments are requested regarding the description's 
effectiveness, ease of use, and technical accuracy.

DATES: Use of the descriptions will begin on October 25, 2000 and will 
continue until AMS makes a final determination about the usefulness of 
the tentative standards. Comments must be received on or before April 
23, 2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions and written comments may be 
submitted to David Bowden, Chief, Standardization Branch, Poultry 
Programs, Agricultural Marketing Service, United States Department of 
Agriculture, Room 3944-South Building, STOP 0259, 1400 Independence 
Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-0259; faxed to (202) 690-0941; or e-
mailed to [email protected]. State that your comments refer to Docket 
No. PY-00-001. Comments received may be viewed over the Internet at

www.ams.usda.gov/poultry/regulations/rulemaking/index.htm

or at the address above between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Eastern Time, 
Monday through Friday, except holidays.
    Copies of the tentative U.S. Trade Descriptions for Poultry are 
available over the Internet at www.ams.usda.gov/poultry/regulations/rulemaking/index.htm or by writing the address above, by faxing (202) 
690-0941, or by phoning (202) 720-3506. A fee will be charged for color 
copies of the standard to recover the cost of printing and 
distribution.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:   

Background

    The Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1621 
et seq.) authorizes USDA to develop and maintain agricultural commodity 
standards to facilitate the domestic and international trading of U.S. 
agricultural products. In 1998, the USA Poultry and Egg Export Council, 
an industry trade organization, expressed interest in having AMS 
develop voluntary U.S. standards to facilitate the domestic and 
international wholesale trading of ready-to-cook poultry produced in 
the United States. AMS is calling these standards ``U.S. Trade 
Descriptions for Poultry'' and will maintain them as AMS 71.
    Currently, AMS maintains voluntary standards that define quality 
grade levels for poultry products by limiting or excluding product 
defects such as broken or disjointed bones, exposed flesh, meat and 
skin discoloration, and freezing defects. AMS 71 U.S. Trade 
Descriptions for Poultry differ from these standards in that they 
describe the composition of poultry products by defining 
characteristics such as which parts of the bird are included, whether 
bone and skin are present, and how the product is packaged and packed. 
The two standards may be used in conjunction with each other.
    Although AMS intends to develop trade descriptions for all commonly 
traded poultry products, descriptions for ready-to-cook chicken 
products are the first to be available for industry use. These 
standards consist of word and picture descriptions for over 70 chicken 
product styles and define a numeric coding system that communicates 
product and packaging characteristics for products to be traded. The 
descriptions were developed in cooperation with the poultry industry, 
including national industry organizations.
    A seller may self-certify that delivered product satisfies all 
product and packaging characteristics of the trade description 
specified by the buyer. For additional assurance, however, the buyer or 
seller may request that AMS examine and officially certify that the 
product meets the specified U.S. trade description requirements. The 
AMS Poultry Grading Service has procedures for certifying that products 
meet the requirements of the U.S. trade descriptions. This service is 
available for both officially graded and non-graded products.
    AMS believes that the effectiveness and usefulness of a new 
standard will be best determined through industry use. For this reason, 
AMS is providing interested parties with 180 days to comment on their 
effectiveness, ease of use, and technical accuracy.
    After the comment period has closed, the Agency will evaluate 
comments received and other information to determine if the tentative 
U.S. Trade Descriptions for Poultry should be modified or become 
official. Once determined, the Agency's decision will be published as a 
notice in the Federal Register.
    AMS encourages high-volume wholesale buyers and sellers of chicken 
to use the tentative standards to define the products they trade. They 
can do so by obtaining a copy of the trade descriptions and using the 
product definitions and numeric codes in the trade descriptions to 
identify all product and packaging requirements for the products they 
wish to trade. This code can then be incorporated into the contract 
with wording such as ``Product and packaging shall meet requirements of 
U.S. Trade Description No. 70101-13-11140001270-1*01100114-184001816-
0.'' An Internet web site will be developed by AMS to provide on-line, 
interactive assistance with the specification and documentation 
process.
    Interested parties can obtain further information or assistance in 
the use of the trade descriptions by contacting the Poultry Programs 
Standardization Branch by e-mail ([email protected]), fax (202 
690-0941), or phone (202 720-3506).


[[Page 63841]]


    Dated: October 18, 2000.
Kathleen A. Merrigan,
Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 00-27412 Filed 10-24-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P