[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 92 (Friday, May 12, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27668-27669]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-7251]


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

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2006-0005]


National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), USDA.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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

SUMMARY: The National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection 
(NACMPI) will hold a public meeting on May 23-24, 2006 to discuss 
issues related to building a more robust risk-based inspection system. 
Subcommittees will also meet on May 23, 2006, to discuss issues covered 
during the full committee session.

DATES: The full Committee will hold a public meeting on Tuesday, May 23 
and Wednesday, May 24, 2006, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Subcommittees 
will hold open meetings on Tuesday, May 23, 2006, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

ADDRESSES: All Committee meetings will take place in the conference 
room at the south end of the USDA cafeteria located in the Department 
of Agriculture South Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC. A meeting agenda is available on the Internet at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/About_FSIS/NACMPI/index.asp.
    FSIS invites interested persons to submit comments on this notice. 
Comments may be submitted by any of the following methods:
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: This Web site provides the ability to 
type short comments directly into the comment field on this Web page or 
attach a file for lengthier comments. Go to http://www.regulations.gov 
and, in the ``Search for Open Regulations'' box, select ``Food Safety 
and Inspection Service'' from the agency drop-down menu, then click on 
``Submit.'' In the Docket ID column, select the FDMS Docket Number 
FSIS-2006-0005 to submit or view public comments and to view supporting 
and related materials available electronically.
    Mail, including floppy disks or CD-ROM's, and hand- or courier-
delivered items: Send to Docket Clerk, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 
Food Safety and Inspection Service, FSIS Docket Room, 300 12th Street, 
SW., Room 102, Cotton Annex Building, Washington, DC 20250.
    Electronic mail: [email protected].
    All submissions received must include the Agency name and docket 
number FSIS-2006-0005.
    All comments submitted in response to this notice, as well as 
research and background information used by FSIS in developing this 
document, will be posted to the regulations.gov Web site. The 
background information and comments also will be available for public 
inspection in the FSIS Docket Room at the address listed above between 
8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Tynan for technical information 
at (202) 690-6522 or by e-mail [email protected] and Sonya L. 
West for meeting information at (202) 690-1079, FAX (202) 690-6519, or 
by e-mail [email protected]. Persons requiring sign language 
interpreter or other special accommodations should notify Ms. West no 
later than May 12, 2006, at the numbers above or by e-mail.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On March 15, 2005, the Secretary of Agriculture renewed the charter 
for the NACMPI. The Committee provides advice and recommendations to 
the Secretary of Agriculture pertaining to the Federal and State meat 
and poultry inspection programs, pursuant to sections 7(c), 24, 205, 
301(a)(3), (a)(4), and 301(c) of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 
U.S.C. 607(c), 624, 645, 661(a)(3), 661 (a)(4), and 661(c)) and 
sections 5(a)(3), 5(a)(4), 5(c), 8(b); and 11(e) of the Poultry 
Products

[[Page 27669]]

Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 454(a)(3), 454(a)(4), 454(c), 457(b), and 
460(e)).
    The Administrator of FSIS is the chairperson of the Committee. 
Membership of the Committee is drawn from representatives of consumer 
groups, producers, processors and marketers from the meat, poultry and 
egg product industry, state government officials and academia. The 
current members of the NACMPI are: Dr. Gladys Bayse, Spelman College; 
Dr. David Carpenter, Southern Illinois University; Dr. James Denton, 
University of Arkansas; Mr. Darin Detwiler, Lake Washington School 
District; Mr. Kevin Elfering, Minnesota Department of Agriculture; Ms. 
Sandra Eskin, Attorney; Mr. Mike Finnegan, Montana Department of 
Agriculture; Mr. Michael Govro, Oregon Department of Agriculture; Dr. 
Andrea Grondahl, North Dakota Department of Agriculture; Dr. Joseph 
Harris, Southwest Meat Association; Dr. Jill Hollingsworth, Food 
Marketing Institute; Mr. Michael Kowalcyk, Safe Tables Our Priority; 
Dr. Elizabeth Krushinskie, U.S. Poultry & Egg Association; Dr. Irene 
Leech, Virginia Citizens Consumer Council; Mr. Charles Link, Cargill 
Meat Solutions; Dr. Catherine Logue, North Dakota State University; and 
Mr. Mark Schad, Schad Meats.
    The Committee will break up into subcommittees to deliberate on 
specific issues and make recommendations to the whole Committee. The 
Committee makes recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture. All 
interested parties are welcome to attend meetings and to submit written 
comments and suggestions concerning issues the Committee will review 
and discuss. These comments and suggestions should be submitted to 
Robert Tynan (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). The comments and 
the official transcript of the meeting, when they become available, 
will be kept in the FSIS Docket Room at the address provided. All 
comments received in response to this notice will be considered part of 
the public record and will be available for viewing in the FSIS Docket 
Room between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Members of 
the public will be required to register before entering the meeting.

Additional Public Notification

    Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy 
development is important. Consequently, in an effort to ensure that 
minorities, women, and persons with disabilities are aware of this 
notice, FSIS will announce it on-line through the FSIS Web Page located 
at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations/2006_Notices_Index/. FSIS 
also will make copies of this Federal Register publication available 
through the FSIS Constituent Update, which is used to provide 
information regarding FSIS policies, procedures, regulations, Federal 
Register notices, FSIS public meetings, recalls and other types of 
information that could affect or would be of interest to constituents 
and stakeholders. The update is communicated via Listserv, a free 
electronic mail subscription service for industry, trade and farm 
groups, consumer interest groups, allied health professionals and other 
individuals who have asked to be included. The update is available on 
the FSIS Web page. Through the Listserv and Web page, FSIS is able to 
provide information to a much broader and more diverse audience. In 
addition, FSIS offers an e-mail subscription service which provides 
automatic and customized access to selected food safety news and 
information. This service is available at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/news_and_events/email_subscription/. Options range from recalls to 
export information to regulations, directives and notices. Customers 
can add or delete subscriptions themselves and have the option to 
password protect their account.

    Done in Washington, DC on May 8, 2006.
Barbara J. Masters,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. E6-7251 Filed 5-11-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P