On Aug. 7 the Foreign Agricultural Service issued the following GAIN reports:

On Aug. 6 the Foreign Agricultural Service issued the following GAIN reports:

The Food Safety and Inspection Service and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) are reviewing data to begin the process of selecting CFIA-registered establishments that may be eligible for the FSIS-CFIA pre-clearance pilot program, and the pilot is set to begin in September, CFIA said. The pilot project, part of the Beyond the Border Action Plan, will consider alternative methods for reviewing import documents prior to the shipments' arrival at the U.S. border and alternative methods for release of shipments that are destined for further processing at an FSIS official establishment.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service said it intends to reestablish the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection. The purpose of the committee is to provide advice to the Secretary of Agriculture concerning State and Federal programs with respect to meat, poultry, and processed egg products inspection, food safety, and other matters that fall within the scope of the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products Inspection Act. The committee’s charter is available here.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service released its final report on the case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, aka mad cow disease) discovered in California in April. According to the report, the results of APHIS’ investigation confirmed that at no time was the U.S. food supply or human health at risk, and that the U.S.’s longstanding system of interlocking safeguards against BSE continues to be effective.

On Aug. 3 the Foreign Agricultural Service issued the following GAIN reports:

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced on Aug. 2 that it would no longer regulate ten organisms at ports of entry, as the National Plant Board concurs with its recommendation to change the regulatory status to non-actionable for these pests.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued emails Aug. 2 announcing changes to some Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) electronic manuals. While some changes are minor, other changes may affect the admissibility of the plant products, including fruits, vegetables, and flowers.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said it's reevaluating its process for responding to domestic chrysanthemum white rust (CWR) outbreaks and the import of plant material that hosts CWR. The import of CWR host plants for planting from some countries and localities is currently prohibited to prevent the introduction of CWR into the U.S. In addition, APHIS said, import of cut flowers of CWR host plants from countries where CWR is known to occur is currently restricted. APHIS is reevaluating its current regulatory strategy in order to improve the effectiveness and economic efficiency of its programs. After reviewing public comments, APHIS will determine whether to propose changes to its existing regulations, it said. Comments are due by Oct. 2.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service said the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR) is inviting member countries and observer organizations to participate in the following six electronic working groups: