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From: TSS ()
Subject: FSIS NOTICE will no longer collect brain samples for all ante-mortem condemned cattle
Date: August 24, 2006 at 7:52 am PST

##################### Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy #####################

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE WASHINGTON, DC

51-06

8/23/06

FSIS NOTICE

SAMPLE COLLECTION FROM CATTLE UNDER THE BOVINE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY (BSE) ONGOING SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM

NOTE: Do not implement this notice until: August 27, 2006.

I. PURPOSE

This notice provides the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) personnel with instructions regarding the collection of brain samples for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) ongoing surveillance plan as well as notification of changes in e-ADRS to accommodate the collection changes. This notice cancels FSIS Notice 28-04 (which has an extended expiration date of 6/1/07), FSIS Sample Collection From Cattle Condemned During Ante-Mortem Inspection For The Bovine Spongiform Encephalophathy (BSE) Surveillance Program.

II. NEW COLLECTION PROCEDURES
A. Under FSIS Notice 28-04, FSIS personnel collected brain samples from all antemortem condemned cattle. Begininng August 27, 2006, FSIS personnel will no longer collect brain samples for all ante-mortem condemned cattle. Instead, they will collect brain samples as follows:
1. from all establishments any cattle of any age that FSIS condemns on antemortem due to signs of CNS disease, including rabies-negative cases from public health laboratories and
2. from selected establishments cattle 30 months of age or older that FSIS condemns at antemortem for conditions other than CNS disease.
a. APHIS has develop a sample allocation tool for use at selected official establishments where BSE sample collection will occur. The allocation tool assigns a certain number of these samples to a particular establishment for a particular week. The current allocation tool is available at:

DISTRIBUTION: Inspection Offices;

NOTICE EXPIRES: 9/1/07

OPI: OPPED T/A Inspectors; TRA; TSC; Import Offices

Outlook/PublicFolder/AllPublicFolders/OFO/TechnicalServiceCenter/BSETrainingInfo

FSIS personnel at selected establishment will be updated of changes to the allocation plan by the District Office regarding the number and times to collect the brain samples from cattle in 2 above. OFO headquarters will provide the District Office this information based on the updated sample allocation plan developed by APHIS.

FSIS PHV’s will ensure that the allocated number of samples are collected from cattle 30 months of age or older condemned on antemortem for conditions other than CNS disease. Samples collected from cattle condemned for CNS disease will not count toward the samples assigned by the APHIS allocation tool.

b. The FSIS PHV should collect brain samples only from animals that did not arrive dead at the establishment. However, if the PHV determines that there will not be sufficient samples to fill the sample allocation for the week, additional samples may be collected from cattle 30 months of age or older that arrive dead at the establishment.

3. PHV’s at establishments not listed in the allocation plan will only be sampling CNS condemned animals of all ages.

B. Offsite sampling can continue to occur if the plant has verifiable alternative arrangements made in advance with locations under contract with APHIS, and there is no objection by the Office of Field Operations. APHIS personnel or contractors will perform sampling done through approved offsite arrangements. Alternative off – site locations used under the enhance surveillance effort might not be available on the August 27, 2006 start date for ongoing surveillance. Plant managements should check with their local AVIC’s for guidance on availability.

III. FSIS PERSONNEL RESPONSIBILITIES

A. Awareness meeting

1. Prior to the implementation of the sample collection, the PHV is to hold an awareness meeting with the establishment. At this meeting, the FSIS PHV and management should discuss the new FSIS procedures set forth in this notice and determine whether the establishment is listed on the allocation tool, and if so, if the establishment plans to make any changes in where and how FSIS collects the brain samples from what is currently established under FSIS Notice 28-04.
2. In a memorandum of interview, the FSIS PHV is to document who was present at the awareness meeting, the date and time of the meeting, what was discussed and decided, and any documents shared with management.
3. The FSIS PHV is to maintain a copy of the memorandum of interview in the official government file, provide a copy to the plant management, and electronically mail a copy to the APHIS AVIC.
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FSIS NOTICE 51-06

B. Sample collection

1. The FSIS PHV, or the APHIS technician under the supervisory authority of the FSIS PHV, will collect the brain samples from cattle selected for sampling in accordance with II. A. 2, above. The FSIS PHV is to make all final disposition decisions regarding whether to condemn cattle in accordance with 9 CFR part 309.

NOTE: The New APHIS Ongoing Surveillance Manual will be replacing the Enhanced Surveillance Manual and can be accessed at:

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/nvsl/BSE/specimencollectionbse.htm.

2. If condemned cattle are alive, the establishment is required to humanely euthanize the cattle, in accordance with 9 CFR 309.13. The PHV, or the establishment under the supervision of the PHV, should remove the head as quickly as possible in order to collect the brain sample. If the establishment does not arrange to remove the head, the FSIS PHV may need to collect the brain sample as a priority over other antemortem or post-mortem procedures.
3. The PHV, or APHIS technician under the supervision of the PHV, should collect the brain sample either in the inedible area of the establishment or in another area set aside for such collection to prevent the creation of an insanitary condition. The establishment, APHIS technician, and FSIS personnel are to take proper sanitary measures before returning to edible areas of the establishment after brain sample collection, in accordance with 9 CFR 416.5.
4. In situations where the PHV has missed the last FedEx pick-up for the day or the PHV collected the sample on a day when FedEx does not pick up, the PHV is to refrigerate the samples until the next available FedEx pick up day. Remember, the sample is not to pass through or to be stored in areas of the establishment where the establishment produces edible product. This may mean that the PHV has to store the sample under refrigeration outside of the official establishment. The PHV is to maintain the sample’s chain-of-custody.
5. The FSIS PHV is to verify the collection and documentation of all animal identification associated with cattle condemned during ante-mortem inspection that are to be sampled by FSIS. The FSIS PHV is to attach the "U. S. Condemned" tag to cattle condemned during ante-mortem inspection in accordance with 9 CFR 309.13. The FSIS PHV is also to ensure that available records associated with the documentation of the ownership of the cattle are maintained along with a file on each BSE-sampled animal. This documentation will facilitate traceback in the event that the sample result is positive for BSE. The documentation should include records in accordance with 9 CFR 320.1.
6. The PHV is to verify that the presence of condemned cattle or parts does not create insanitary conditions (9 CFR part 416). The establishment is responsible for the
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disposal of the condemned cattle in accordance with 9 CFR part 314. The PHV also is to verify that the establishment maintains records regarding the disposal of the condemned cattle in accordance with 9 CFR 320.1. In cases in which the establishment cannot obtain transport services for removal of the condemned cattle in a timely manner, the establishment should contact the APHIS AVIC.

7. The establishment may choose to hold the carcass and parts until testing results are available. If the establishment chooses to dispose of any carcass or parts before it receives negative test results, FSIS recommends that the establishment choose one of the following preferred options:

a. render it at dedicated facilities for non-animal feed use (e.g., biofuel or cement);

b. alkaline digestion;
c. incineration; or
d. lined land fills
C. Documentation

1. The FSIS PHV is to enter the "U.S. Condemned" tag number onto the APHIS-supplied forms. FSIS should record any APHIS identifying bar code labels onto the FSIS condemnation certificate. FedEx will pick up the shipping container under the APHIS contract for overnight shipping. If there is a problem with the FedEx pickup of BSE samples, the FSIS PHV should contact the DO. The DO will contact the APHIS Area Office person responsible for the APHIS FedEx contract.
2. The FSIS PHV is to complete the condemnation form (if requested by plant management), FSIS Form 6000-13, (Certification of Ante-mortem or Post-mortem Disposition of Tagged Animals) and FSIS Form 6150-1 (Identification Tag – Antemortem). The FSIS PHV should pay special attention when providing a full description of the reason for the condemnation on FSIS Form 6000-13 and fill out fully FSIS Form 6150-1 (i.e., identification, breed, sex, reason for tag, and clinical signs). In addition, the FSIS PHV is to include similar information on the APHIS sample request form, including the estimated age of the cattle. The FSIS PHV should consider any age documentation that accompanies cattle to the federally-inspected establishment, in lieu of a dentition determination.
3. The PHV is to enter the relevant information into the eADRS system for each BSE sample (See Section V, below).
4. For establishments using alternative off-site locations the information discussed above in 1 & 2 of the section needs to be shared with plant management so plant management can supply the information to collectors at alternative off-site locations.
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FSIS NOTICE 51-06

IV. TEST RESULTS

The PHV will receive, by e-mail, a report from the AVIC with the BSE test results. The AVIC will also send copies of the results to the District Office.

1. If the test is negative (reported as "not detected"), any carcasses and parts the establishment has held may be released for rendering or other disposal in accordance with 9 CFR 314.
2. If the test is inconclusive, the PHV will receive supervisory instruction on further actions.
3. For any sample confirmed positive for BSE, the PHV is to verify that the establishment disposed of the carcasses and parts in the manner described in this notice.
V. eADRS PROCEDURES

After sampling cattle for BSE, the PHV (or designee) is to enter the relevant information for each sample into eADRS.

1. The PHV (or designee) is to enter each ante-mortem condemned animal in eADRS under the applicable pathological condition (e.g. deads, CNS).
2. For each disease condition, in the "Add Daily Totals" window, the PHV is to select the "Update BSE Details" button if FSIS or APHIS sampled one or more of the condemned animals for BSE. Doing so opens the "Update BSE Details" screen.
3. On the "Update BSE Details" screen, the PHV is to enter the number of animals sampled and the applicable "U.S. Condemned" Z-tag numbers for each sampled animal.
4. After entering the relevant information, the PHV is to click the "Save" button and proceed to the next disease condition.
For additional information on entering BSE sample information, refer to Section 7 of the eADRS User Guide.

Refer questions to the Technical Assistance and Correlation Division, Technical Service Center, at 800-233-3935.

Assistant Administrator Office of Policy, Program, and Employee Development

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http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FSISNotices/51-06.pdf

TSS

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