§472 Interstate Shipment of Poultry Inspected by Federal and State Agencies for Certain Small Establishments

Summary

Lets the Secretary of Agriculture allow small, state‑inspected poultry plants to ship poultry across state lines using a federal inspection mark if the plant follows the State inspection program and the federal poultry rules, and if inspections are done by state inspectors who have been trained and certified to help the federal government. Definitions: appropriate State agency = the State agency that runs the State inspection program; designated personnel = trained and certified State inspectors; eligible establishment = a plant that follows State and federal poultry rules; poultry item = a piece of poultry or a poultry product; selected establishment = an eligible plant chosen to ship interstate. The Secretary must work with the State agency to pick plants, but cannot pick plants that on average employ more than 25 people, plants already under federal inspection as of enactment, federal plants or certain reorganized plants, plants breaking the law, plants in States without a State inspection program, or plants already in a planned transition. The Secretary can create a transition process for plants that usually have more than 25 workers. A State plant that had more than 25 but less than 35 workers when this law passed may be chosen and must follow the transition rules starting 3 years after the rule’s effective date. The federal government must pay at least 60% of eligible State inspection costs for chosen plants. A federal State coordinator will oversee and visit chosen plants, file quarterly reports, and must immediately tell the Secretary and stop inspections if a plant breaks the rules. The USDA Inspector General must audit program activities within 2 years after the rules take effect and at least every 3 years after that. The Comptroller General must review implementation and counts of chosen plants between 3 and 5 years after enactment. The Secretary may give grants to help plants transition, and plants found in violation must be moved to federal inspection under the transition process. The program only starts after the Secretary issues final rules following public comment, and those final rules must be issued within 18 months after the law was passed.