[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 159 (Thursday, August 16, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42988-42989]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-20583]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

[PY-00-004]


Voluntary Grade Standards for Rabbits and U.S. Grade C-Quality 
Poultry

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) proposes to change 
the voluntary United States Grade Standards for Rabbits. Specifically, 
the changes will add stewer rabbits to the roaster and mature rabbit 
class; update and clarify the tolerances for conformation, fleshing, 
disjointed and broken bones, and freezing; and provide new tolerances 
for cuts and tears and discolorations. The standards are being updated 
to provide more specific grade factors for increasing accuracy of grade 
determination. Additionally, AMS will update the voluntary United 
States Grade Standards for Grade C-quality ready-to-cook poultry for 
consistency with existing U.S. Grade A and B standards.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before October 15, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be submitted to David Bowden, Chief, 
Standardization Branch, Poultry Programs, AMS, USDA, Room 3944-South 
Bldg., STOP 0259, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-
0259; faxed to (202) 690-0941; or e-mailed to [email protected].
    All comments received will be available for public inspection 
during regular business hours (8 a.m.--4:30 p.m. eastern time).
    The current United States Grade Standards for Poultry and Rabbits, 
along with the proposed changes, are available either through the above 
address or AMS's Internet site at: www.ams.usda.gov/standards.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Contact Rex A. Barnes at (202) 720-3271.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Poultry grading is a voluntary program 
provided under the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, as amended, 7 
U.S.C. 1621 et seq., and is offered on a fee-for-service basis. Section 
203(c) of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, as amended, directs 
and authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture ``to develop and improve 
standards of quality, condition, grade, and packaging and recommend and 
demonstrate such standards in order to encourage uniformity and 
consistency in commercial practices * * *.'' AMS is committed to 
carrying out this authority in a manner that facilitates the marketing 
of agricultural commodities.
    On December 4, 1995, the Voluntary United States Grade Standards 
for Rabbits and Poultry were removed from the Code of Federal 
Regulations (CFR) as part of the National Performance Review program. 
AMS continues to administer the voluntary standards, maintaining their 
existing numbering system, and copies of the official standards are 
available upon request.
    The U.S. Grade Standards for Rabbits and Poultry were last revised 
on April 29, 1998. These revisions changed poultry feather tolerances 
and added new boneless, skinless and size-reduced poultry products. 
Since that time, rabbit producers and processors have requested that 
AMS clarify the rabbit standards by developing detailed defect 
tolerances for cuts and tears, discolorations, and freezing defects to 
reflect the developing processing technology. Rabbit processors hope to 
use these standards to assist in marketing graded rabbit products.
    AMS proposes to add stewer rabbits to the class of roaster and 
mature rabbits and decrease the age requirement for these rabbits to 
six months of age. This change is consistent with actual rabbit grower 
and breeding terminology.
    The following proposed changes pertain to the standards for Grades 
A-, B-, and C-quality rabbits:
    (1) Updated information will be provided for conformation and 
fleshing. Current grade criteria describe hip and back 
characterizations that are not applicable to meat-yielding rabbit 
breeds today.
    (2) Disjointed and broken bone criteria will be updated to reflect 
actual processing activities including the presence of broken bones due 
to the removal of head and feet. Tolerances will be established to 
indicate points at which a bone may be broken regarding the start of 
the meat tissue.
    (3) The term ``pockmarks'' will be removed from the freezing 
defects section and replaced with ``drying out of the outer layer of 
flesh.'' AMS has found that the pockmarks are traditionally found on 
skin-on poultry and are not applicable to rabbits. The drying out of 
the outer layer of flesh (freezer burn) is a more descriptive 
explanation for freezing defects that occur on rabbit products during 
frozen storage.
    (4) New tolerances will be established for cuts and tears. Current 
standards do not allow or identify a length for cuts or tears 
regardless of grade being produced. Processors have expressed that 
since the hide or pelt must be removed from all rabbits, hand and 
mechanical cuts are often needed to start the hide or pelt removal 
process making this requirement unrealistic. AMS agrees and has worked 
with the industry to develop a tolerance for the cuts and tears to 
reflect industry-processing techniques.
    (5) New discoloration tolerances will be defined to indicate 
whether slight,

[[Page 42989]]

lightly shaded, or moderately shaded discolorations, blood clots, or 
incomplete bleeding will be allowed. Current standards do not indicate 
the dimensions for discolorations making the grade establishment of 
rabbit carcasses and parts more difficult.
    With respect to U.S. Grade C-quality standards for poultry, AMS 
proposes to add subject headings and text for poultry conformation, 
fleshing, fat covering, defeathering, exposed flesh, discolorations, 
trimming, and freezing defects to clearly define and coincide with the 
requirements printed in the Grade C-quality table. These additions are 
consistent with the current written format for U.S. Grades A-and B-
quality poultry and impose no new requirements to industry.
    Other miscellaneous changes are proposed to remove obsolete 
material, clarify, simplify, and technically correct the standards. 
These changes to the rabbit and poultry standards impose no new 
requirements.

    Dated: August 10, 2001.
Kenneth C. Clayton,
Acting Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 01-20583 Filed 8-15-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P