Source: Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE, 9/12/19



The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Wednesday it will extend the comment period for its request for public input on transit times to slaughter facilities, milking frequency and interpretation of zero-day withdrawal periods and zero-day milk discard times for animal drugs.

The comment period now will close on Jan. 6, 2020. FDA hasn’t changed its policies with regard to transit times and withdrawal periods since the 1980s, and is looking to update them in a way that reflects current industry practices.

“The agency has no indication of any new safety concerns: in fact, the number of drug residue violations detected by USDA at slaughter and reported to FDA has been trending downward since 2013,” FDA officials said. “Instead, the FDA is seeking information about current industry practices and the end user’s interpretation of labeling statements. This information will help the

FDA update its procedures, as necessary, to ensure that current industry practices are being appropriately considered.”

To electronically submit comments to the docket, visit www.regulations.gov and type FDA-2019-N-3019 in the search box.

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