USDA Extends Comment Period for Interim Final Rule on Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling for Fish and Shellfish
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has issued a notice extending the comment period for its interim final rule on the mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL) program for farm-raised and wild fish and shellfish (fish ad shellfish covered commodities).
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According to AMS, this comment period has been extended to February 2, 2005 (from January 3, 2005).
Among other things, AMS notes that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently published the final rule to implement the Bioterrorism Act's recordkeeping requirements and more time is needed for the industry to compare the FDA regulation's recordkeeping requirements with the recordkeeping requirements under AMS' COOL interim final rule. (See ITT's Online Archives or 12/08/04 news, 04120810, for BP summary announcing FDA's final rule. See future issues of ITT for additional summaries of this final rule.)
Interim Final Rule on COOL Labeling for Fish & Shellfish Effective April 4, 2005
AMS has previously stated that its interim final rule is effective April 4, 2005; however, it will not apply to frozen fish or shellfish caught or harvested before December 6, 2004.
AMS has also explained that the effective date of this interim final rule was delayed for six months from its October 5, 2004 Federal Register publication date in order to allow existing inventories to clear through channels of commerce and to allow affected industry members to conform their operations to the requirements of this interim final rule. AMS has also stated that it will conduct an industry education and outreach program concerning the interim final rule's provisions and requirements during this six month period as well as the six month period immediately following April 4, 2005.
(AMS has previously explained that the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (Public Law (P.L.) 107-171) and the 2002 Supplemental Appropriations Act amended the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (Act) to require retailers to notify their customers of the country of origin of covered commodities, which include muscle cuts of beef (including veal), lamb, and pork; ground beef, ground lamb, and ground pork; farm-raised fish and shellfish; wild fish and shellfish; perishable agricultural commodities; and peanuts.
However, the FY 2004 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 108-199) delayed the implementation of mandatory COOL for all covered commodities except the fish and shellfish covered commodities. See ITT's Online Archives or 01/26/04 news, 04012605, for BP summary.)
(See ITT's Online Archives or 10/07/04 and 10/12/04 news, 04100715 and 04101220, for Parts I & II of BP's summary of the AMS interim final rule.)
AMS Contact - William Sessions (202) 720-5707
AMS Notice Extending Comment Period (No. LS-03-04, FR Pub 12/28/04) available athttp://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/06jun20041800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2004/pdf/04-28349.pdf