[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 151 (Monday, August 6, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Page 38273]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-16249]


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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. 83, No. 151 / Monday, August 6, 2018 / 
Notices  

[[Page 38273]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

[Docket No. AMS-LP-18-0050]


United States Classes, Standards, and Grades for Poultry

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural 
Marketing Service (AMS) is revising the United States Classes, 
Standards, and Grades for Poultry, (the poultry standards) to lower the 
age requirement for the ``roaster and roasting chickens'' class of 
poultry and identify a ready-to-cook weight of 5.5 pounds or more. This 
change is consistent with how the USDA Food Safety and Inspection 
Service (FSIS) defines ``roaster or roasting chickens'' for labeling 
compliance.

DATES: The revised poultry standards are effective August 6, 2018.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Lawson, National Poultry 
Supervisor, Livestock and Poultry Program, AMS, USDA; 1400 Independence 
Ave. SW; Room 3932-S, STOP 0258; Washington, DC 20250-0258; phone (202) 
690-3166; [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 203(c) of the Agricultural Marketing 
Act of 1946, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1621 et seq.), directs and authorizes 
the Secretary of Agriculture ``to develop and improve standards of 
quality, condition, quantity, 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. While the poultry standards do not appear in 
the Code of Federal Regulations, they--along with other official 
standards--are maintained by USDA and can be found at https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards. Copies of official standards are 
also available upon request. To revise the poultry standards, AMS 
utilizes the procedures it published in the August 13, 1997, Federal 
Register (62 FR 43439) and in 7 CFR part 36. Because this change to the 
poultry standards is to ensure consistency with FSIS's definition, 
public comments are not being sought.

Background

    FSIS maintains regulatory authority over the labeling of poultry 
products under the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA) which 
prohibits the distribution of poultry products that are adulterated or 
misbranded (12 U.S.C. 458). In November 2013, the National Chicken 
Council petitioned FSIS to amend the ``roaster chicken class to remove 
the 8-week minimum age criteria and increase the Ready-to-Cook (RTC) 
carcass weight to 5.5 pounds.'' According to the petition, the existing 
``roaster'' standard--defined at 9 CFR 381.170(a)(1)(iii) as a ``young 
chicken (between 8 and 12 weeks of age), of either sex, with a ready-
to-cook carcass weight of 5 pounds or more, that is tender-meated with 
soft, pliable, smooth-textured skin and breastbone cartilage that is 
somewhat less flexible than that of a broiler or fryer''--detracted 
from the orderly and efficient marketing of classes. Specifically, 
companies were unable to label and market chickens as ``roasters'' that 
met all the physical attributes apart from the minimum age requirement. 
FSIS and AMS completed a review of the petition in July 2014 and 
concluded that continuous improvements in breeding and poultry 
management techniques had enabled producers to raise chickens with the 
characteristics of roasters in under 8 weeks.
    On April 13, 2016, FSIS published a final rule in the Federal 
Register (81 FR 21706) amending the definition and standard of identity 
for the ``roaster or roasting chicken'' poultry class, with an 
effective date of January 1, 2018. AMS is revising its poultry 
standards definition of roaster from usually 3 to 5 months of age to 
5.5 pounds or more and less than 12 weeks of age to maintain 
consistency with the FSIS regulation.

    Dated: July 23, 2018.
Bruce Summers,
Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-16249 Filed 8-3-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-02-P