The USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), Livestock, Poultry, and Seed Program is making administrative updates to the U.S. Standards for Grades of Carcass Beef (Beef Standards), effective March 1, 2016. These revisions do not alter or change the grading requirements for beef nor will they have any impact upon the current consist of beef officially USDA graded.
The revisions include:
- Incorporating language that documents the use of instrument technology and objective aids to carry out official USDA beef grading activities.
- Updating the examples for official USDA yield grading to more accurately reflect current carcass weights.
- Updating the names of organization units within the Department that resulted from mergers and realignments within the Agency and Program.
The Beef Standards were last updated in 1997. Since that time, camera technology and visual aids have been employed to strengthen the accuracy, objectivity and uniformity of applying the USDA grade standards. Revisions to Section 54.104 (d) provide a more accurate description of how this type of technology is used by adding the term “devices” to the types of objective aids used in the interpretation and application of the Beef Standards. Section 54.104 (w) regarding yield grade calculation is revised to address fractional official USDA yield grade units derived from objective means, such as an instrument.
Other revisions to the Beef Standards are also minor in nature. Carcass weights in section 54.105 describing yield grade calculations have been increased to better reflect the current consist of carcasses being USDA graded. The Beef Standards also reference the organization within AMS that maintains the Beef Standards. Due to organizational changes within AMS since 1997, these organizational references are updated to “Livestock, Poultry, and Seed Program” from what was formerly the “Livestock and Seed Program.”
As background, AMS requested comments on the Beef Standards in a Federal Register notice published August 15, 2014. AMS received 21 comments addressing a variety of topics, but AMS is only addressing administrative items at this time. These comments may be viewed at http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=AMS-LPS-14-0052-0001.
AMS commodity standards are designed to facilitate the orderly marketing of U.S. agricultural products. At any time AMS will consider changes to its official grade standards to ensure they continue to serve their intended purpose. Several industry stakeholders have indicated the Beef Standards may need revision to allow for alternative methods (i.e., dentition) of determining carcass maturity that play a role in determining the official USDA quality grade. Should this be an issue stakeholders believe warrants further action, AMS would seek the submission of a petition representing the interests of the various market segments that utilize and depend upon the USDA beef grading program and then AMS may propose such a change in another Federal Register notice soliciting public comment specific to that requested change.
If you have any questions, contact Jennifer Porter, Director, Quality Assessment Division at (202) 690-3147.