Source:  Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 7/16/10

The American Meat Institute said Thursday that pre-harvest management controls posed by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service are not supported by science and would be impractical to implement.

AMI made its comments in response to Docket No. FSIS-2009-0034: Pre-Harvest Management Controls and Intervention Options for Reducing Escherichia coli O157:H7 Shedding in Cattle-May 2010 (Guide).

AMI said pre-harvest programs would be difficult to implement because packers have no direct control over their supply base. 

“When supplier programs can be used to support the hazard analysis determination, then these producer driven pre-harvest programs could become part of the HACCP plan,” AMI said in a news release.

AMI also notes that the FSIS guide does not address how all beef livestock are marketed.  Customer specifications would not be feasible, for example, for those marketed through auctions because pre-harvest, on-farm information would not be known.  Whereas, plants and processors that buy livestock directly from feedyards or dairies could be able to address a specification program.  

“The impact of the Guide on these marketing scenarios needs to be reviewed before final issuance,” AMI states.

Moreover, AMI contends that current research does not conclusively demonstrate a reduction in shedding. The organization encouraged federal agencies to approve pre-harvest interventions that “can truly impact shedding of E. coli O157:H7 in a timely fashion.”

To view AMI’s comments, click here.