TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS AND PARTIES:
Pursuant to the Official Code of Georgia Annotated §§ 26-2-80, 26-2-202, and 50-13-4; notice is hereby given that the Georgia Department of Agriculture will be accepting written comments regarding amendments to Rule 40-10-1-.20 entitled Entry Into Official Establishments, Reinspection and Preparation of Products. The Department will be accepting written comments from December 17, 2019, to close of business (4:30 p.m. EST) on January 21, 2020.
SYNOPSIS, MAIN FEATURES, AND DIFFERENCES:
The Georgia Department of Agriculture’s Meat Inspection Section operates under a cooperative agreement with the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture. As part of this cooperative agreement, the Department must enforce rules and regulations that are at least equal to those imposed under the Federal Meat Inspection Act, 21 U.S.C. § 601, et seq. To maintain consistency with updates promulgated by FSIS, the Department is proposing to amend Rule 40-10-1-.20(12)(a) by eliminating the requirement that uninspected articles, such as dog food, be prepared during the hours of inspection and eliminating the requirement that the ingredients of these uninspected articles be handled during the hours of inspection.
COMMENT PERIOD AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
The Department will be accepting written comments from December 17, 2019, to close of business (4:30 p.m. EST) on January 21, 2020. Please submit written comments to:
Aaron Knighton
State Director of Meat Inspection
Georgia Department of Agriculture
19 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, S.W., Room 122
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
Tel: 404-656-3673
Fax: 404-463-1998
Email: Aaron.Knighton@agr.georgia.gov
Interested persons may call or submit a written request to obtain a copy of the proposed amendments. A copy of the synopsis and the proposed amendments may be downloaded from the Georgia Department of Agriculture website at www.agr.georgia.gov.
This notice is given in accordance with the Georgia Administrative Procedure Act, O.C.G.A. § 50-13-4.
