US seeks more public input on animal residue rule
Date: 12-Nov-01
Country: USA
USDA said it would reopen the comment period for 30 days, until Dec. 10.
USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service proposed providing on its Web site the names and addresses of meat sellers with more than one residue violation per year.
The list is designed to help slaughter firms prevent meat containing unsafe levels of chemical residues from entering the human food chain.
The FDA sets residue tolerance levels for veterinary drugs and the Environmental Protection Agency sets levels for pesticides.
Under federal regulations, if the residue level in an inspected tissue exceeds the tolerance level, the animal carcass is considered adulterated and subject to condemnation.
Names of violators will remain on the list for one year from the time being listed. The changes were originally scheduled to become effective on Sept. 5.
USDA said it will test only target tissues for which residue limits have been established by the FDA or EPA.
