:

:

Item

Total, Agricul

:

tural Appropria- :

tion Bill ... ................:_145,069.245: 9.689: 163,445,885:10,429; 178,695,885:11,549 Permanent appropria- :

tions:

:

Removal of Surplus :

Agricultural Commo-:

:

:

dities (Section 32): 698,462,614: Deduct Transfers ...:-220,019,414: Deduct Allotment (FNS) - 126,813,170:

Net

Perishable Agricul- : tural Commodities : Act Fund .....

:

:

605: 728,759,723:

:-264,101,289:

-324:-181,726,640:

:

:

285

Total, Permanent :

Appropriations .: 352,645,538:

359: 284,140,794;

:

:

Agency for Interna- :

:

:

tional Development::

:

:

For training of :

:

:

:

:

agencies

36,545,869: 2,687: 41,022,000: 2,897: 41,527,000: 2,928

Total, Consumer and

:

:

Marketing Service...: 556,21:,427:13,156 512,927,169 14.154 591,402,375,15,305

:

:

(a) Consumer Protective, Marketing, and Regulatory Programs

a Excludes $2,464,000 anticipated supplemental appropriation for poultry inspection.

Project Statement

(on basis of adjusted appropriation)

119,000

155,833,000 a +15,325,000

(a) An increase of $5,041,000 for meat inspection activities. (Total requested for 1972, $99,449,000: $76,850,000 for Federal Inspection and $22,599,000 for Grants to States).

Need for Increase: The funds requested for 1972 are required to assure consumers that there is a safe, wholesome and truthfully labeled supply of meat. These funds will be used to assist States in operating programs comparable to the Federal inspection system for meats produced for intrastate commerce, and to furnish Federal inspection services for the additional number of plants that will be shipping products in interstate commerce in 1972.

The inspection of meat and meat products is carried out by resident inspectors in meat slaughtering and processing plants. Every animal is inspected before and during slaughter to detect disease and symptoms of harmful pesticide, drug or biological residues and prevent contamination of the carcasses during the slaughter operation.

Resident inspectors are also present during the further processing of meat products into food products destined for the consumers. Inspection is to assure that processing is done in a sanitary environment, to detect and prevent spoilage and contamination with filth, prevent the use of harmful chemicals, prevent adulteration with extenders, and assure that meat products are truthfully labeled.

Plan of Work: The requested increase of $5,041,000 will be used as follows:

These changes are explained in more detail as follows:

+5,041,000

1. Inspection of plants switching from intrastate to interstate commerce Approximately 125 large plants, currently operating only in intrastate commerce, are expected to request Federal inspection starting in the last half of fiscal year 1971 to enable them to receive the "USDA Inspected and Passed" legend on their meat products. This will qualify such plants for immediate interstate shipment.

The Department estimates that an additional 510 such plants will switch to interstate shipment and Federal inspection in 1972. The cost of direct inspection and technical support for the 1972 increase and full year costs of plants switching to interstate shipment in 1971 will total $3,922,000. The funds requested would provide approximately 1 inspector for every 2 plants.

2. Normal program growth

Eighty-six new meat slaughter and/or processing establishments are expected to request Federal inspection in fiscal year 1972. This represents the normal growth of the meat industry, exclusive of transfers of plants from State to Federal inspection. The cost of providing required inspection would total $1,560,000 in fiscal year 1972. This would include such essential activities as laboratory testing and detection and control of biological residues and pesticides.

3.

Program changes

A net decrease of $441,000 will result from implementation of new and improved inspection procedures related to offal and carcass reinspection. A statistical sampling method will be used to assure an acceptable level of cleanliness. This would result in more effective inspection, raise the quality level of the meat food supply, and assure consumers of a clean meat product. Upon implementation of these procedures, a savings will be realized by eliminating one of the inspecti on positions in cattle inspection. It would be necessary to have kidneys removed at the evisceration point by plant personnel so the viscera inspector could assume routine kidney inspection.