The Food Safety and Inspection Service confirmed that it will implement routine verification testing for six Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), in addition to E. coli O157:H7, in raw beef manufacturing trimmings. Beginning June 4, FSIS will implement routine verification testing for six additional STECs (O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145) in raw beef manufacturing trimmings (domestic or imported) derived from cattle slaughtered on or after June 4, 2012.
On May 29, 2012, the Foreign Agricultural Service issued the following GAIN reports:
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued emails May 29, 2012, 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 is seeking comments by June 29, 2012, on its environmental assessment relative to its April 16, 2012, proposal to allow the importation of fresh bananas from the Philippines into the U.S. under a systems approach.
On May 25, 2012, the Foreign Agricultural Service issued the following GAIN reports:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture released a new Dashboard that allows users to view volume and price information from boxed beef markets that can be customized and downloaded. With the addition of boxed beef, the AMS Livestock Dashboard now provides weekly data on boxed beef, cattle, hogs and sheep covered by Livestock Mandatory Reporting. Modeled after the other Dashboards, the new Boxed Beef Dashboard includes the same types of interactive features for querying and viewing information, such as navigation tabs, slide bars, graphs, tables, daily market tickers, and downloading capabilities. The Boxed Beef Dashboard is available here.
A treatment schedule for methyl bromide fumigation of cottonseed for the fungal plant pathogen Fusarium oxysporumf. sp. vasinfectum (FOV) was added to the Plant Protection and Quarantine Treatment Manual, said the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. APHIS also prepared a treatment evaluation document that describes the new treatment schedule and says APHIS determined that it is effective at neutralizing FOV, certain strains of which are quarantine pests, and is requesting comments on its treatment schedule by July 30.
On May 24, 2012, the Foreign Agricultural Service issued the following GAIN reports:
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued emails May 24 and 25, 2012, 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 Food Safety and Inspection Service revised export requirements and plant lists for the following countries for the week of May 18 through May 25, 2012: