[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 114 (Thursday, June 15, 2017)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 27403-27404]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-12441]



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 Rules and Regulations
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains regulatory documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 114 / Thursday, June 15, 2017 / Rules 
and Regulations  

[[Page 27403]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

9 CFR Parts 530, 531, 532, 533, 534, 537, 539, 540, 541, 544, 548, 
550, 552, 555, 557, 559, 560, and 561

[Docket No. FSIS-2017-0023]


Educational Meetings on the Mandatory Inspection of Fish of the 
Order Siluriformes and Products Derived From Such Fish Final Rule 
Implementation

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notification of educational meetings.

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

SUMMARY: The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing 
two educational meetings to discuss the enforcement and implementation 
of the Final Rule, ``Mandatory Inspection of Fish of the Order 
Siluriformes and Products Derived from Such Fish.'' Fish of the order 
Siluriformes include fish of several families, including catfish (fish 
of the family Ictaluridae), basa, tra, and swai (fish of the family 
Pangasiidae), and clarias (fish of the Clariidae family). FSIS will 
present information on the upcoming full implementation of the 
regulatory requirements at official domestic establishments that 
process Siluriformes fish and fish products, as well as information on 
entry procedures and reinspection at official import inspection 
establishments. FSIS is particularly interested in soliciting 
participation from representatives from domestic wild-caught operations 
that process Siluriformes fish and fish products.
    The primary objectives of the meetings are to provide updated 
information to stakeholders and to encourage dialogue between FSIS and 
the Siluriformes fish industry. Affected industry and interested 
individuals, organizations, and other stakeholders are invited to 
participate in the meetings.

DATES: The meetings are scheduled as follows:
     The first meeting will be held in Richmond, VA, on 
Tuesday, June 27, 2017; 9 a.m.-3 p.m. ET, at the Hilton Richmond 
Downtown, 501 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23129. For directions and 
parking instructions, please visit: www.richmonddowntown.hilton.com.
     The second meeting will be held in Baltimore, MD, on 
Thursday, July 20, 2017; 9 a.m.-3 p.m. ET, at the Sheraton Baltimore 
Washington International Hotel, 1100 Old Elkridge Landing Road, 
Linthicum Heights, MD 21090. For directions and parking instructions, 
please visit: www.sheratonbwiairport.com.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Evelyn Arce, Outreach and Partnership 
Division, Office of Outreach, Employee Education and Training, FSIS, 
1400 Independence Ave. SW., Mail Stop 3778, Washington, DC 20250; 
Telephone: (202) 418-8903; Fax: (202) 690-6519; Email: 
[email protected], regarding additional information about this 
meeting or to arrange for special accommodations.
    Questions regarding the mandatory inspection of fish of the order 
Siluriformes and products derived from such fish may be directed to 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Further information on these meetings will 
be posted on FSIS Web site at: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/newsroom/meetings and through the FSIS Constituent Update.
    The final rule may be accessed from the FSIS Web site at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/regulations/federal-register/interim-and-final-rules.
    Registration: To pre-register for the either of meetings, please go 
to http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/newsroom/meetings.
    The cutoff dates for pre-registration are as follows:

Richmond, VA: Friday, June 23, 2017
Baltimore, MD: Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Background

    On December 2, 2015, FSIS published the final rule to establish a 
mandatory inspection program for fish of the order Siluriformes and 
products derived from these fish (80 FR 75590). The final rule and 
other resources and information on Siluriformes fish can be found on 
the FSIS ``Inspection Program For Siluriformes Fish, Including 
Catfish'' Web page: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/inspection/siluriformes.
    The final rule was effective March 1, 2016; however, the Agency 
provided an 18-month transitional period until September 1, 2017, to 
give domestic establishments time to prepare and comply with the final 
regulations. The transitional period also provided foreign countries 
with time to submit the documentation necessary to continue exporting 
Siluriformes fish and fish products to the United States and to show 
that they have equivalent inspection systems.
    FSIS began inspecting domestic establishments on March 1, 2016, and 
began selecting imported Siluriformes fish shipments for reinspection 
on April 15, 2016. During the transitional period, FSIS inspection 
personnel have exercised broad discretion in enforcing the regulatory 
requirements, focusing primarily on preventing adulterated or 
misbranded Siluriformes fish and fish products from entering commerce.
    FSIS held a series of domestic and import educational meetings when 
the final rule initially published in December 2015. FSIS has gained 
significant insight into the domestic and importing Siluriformes fish 
industries during the transitional period, and is announcing these 
educational meetings to provide updates regarding full implementation 
of the regulatory requirements.
    In addition, the Agency is interested in exchanging information 
with operations that process wild-caught Siluriformes fish and fish 
products, and encourages representatives and parties involved in this 
industry to attend the educational meetings. The Agency is particularly 
interested in gaining insight into how the wild-caught Siluriformes 
fish arrive at processing facilities, from where the wild-caught 
Siluriformes fish are sourced, daily production volume information for 
these facilities, and where the final Siluriformes fish and fish 
products are being sold or distributed after processing. FSIS will post 
a list of questions that FSIS intends to use to gather information 
concerning

[[Page 27404]]

these issues at https://www.fsis.usda.gov/meetings.

Additional Public Notification

    Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy 
development is important. Consequently, FSIS will announce this Federal 
Register publication on-line through the FSIS Web page located at: 
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/federal-register.
    FSIS also will make copies of this publication available through 
the FSIS Constituent Update, which is used to provide information 
regarding FSIS policies, procedures, regulations, Federal Register 
notices, FSIS public meetings, and other types of information that 
could affect or would be of interest to our constituents and 
stakeholders. The Update is available on the FSIS Web page. Through the 
Web page, FSIS is able to provide information to a much broader, more 
diverse audience. In addition, FSIS offers an email 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/subscribe. Options range from recalls to export 
information, regulations, directives, and notices. Customers can add or 
delete subscriptions themselves, and have the option to password 
protect their accounts.

USDA Non-Discrimination Statement

    No agency, officer, or employee of the USDA shall, on the grounds 
of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual 
orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, 
income derived from a public assistance program, or political beliefs, 
exclude from participation in, deny the benefits of, or subject to 
discrimination any person in the United States under any program or 
activity conducted by the USDA.

How To File a Complaint of Discrimination

    To file a complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program 
Discrimination Complaint Form, which may be accessed online at http://www.ocio.usda.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2012/Complain_combined_6_8_12.pdf, or write a letter signed by you or your 
authorized representative.
    Send your completed complaint form or letter to USDA by mail, fax, 
or email:
    Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of 
Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250-9410.
    Fax: (202) 690-7442.
    Email: [email protected].
    Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for 
communication (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.), should contact 
USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

    Done at Washington, DC, on: June 12, 2017.
Alfred V. Almanza,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2017-12441 Filed 6-14-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P