— 
APHIS works closely 
with FAS on trade 
issues. APHIS Plant 
Protection and 
Quarantine (PPQ) 
and Veterinary 
Services personnel 
closely monitor 
imports to the 
United States and 
designate disease- 
and pest-free 
status to all foreign 
countries that 
wish to trade with 
America. 
barriers to trade, FAS serves as the official 
conduit for notifications and comments 
about these measures. U.S. agricultural 
exports are subject to import duties and non- 
tariff trade restrictions. Trade information 
sent to Washington from FAS personnel 
overseas is used to map strategies for 
improving market access, pursuing U.S. 
rights under trade agreements, and develop- 
ing programs and policies to make U.S. farm 
products more competitive. 
APHIS works closely with FAS on trade 
issues. APHIS Plant Protection and 
Quarantine (PPQ) and Veterinary Services 
personnel closely monitor imports to the 
United States and designate disease- and 
pest-free status to all foreign countries that 
wish to trade with America. 
Food Safety and Inspection Service 
While FAS works to ensure U.S. agricultural 
strength around the world, USDA’s Food 
Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) works 
alongside APHIS and has the primary 
responsibility to keep America’s domestic 
and imported meat and poultry free of dis- 
ease. The USDA grading scale and stamp are 
marks of excellence worldwide. 
FSIS is the public health agency in USDA, 
protecting consumers by ensuring that meat 
and poultry products are safe, wholesome, 
and accurately labeled. FSIS regulates meat 
and poultry products, which account for a 
third of consumer spending for food and 
carry an annual retail value of $120 billion. 
FSIS regulates all raw beef, pork, lamb, 
chicken, and turkey, as well as approximately 
250,000 different processed meat and poultry 
products, including hams, sausage, soups, 
stews, pizzas, and frozen dinners (any prod- 
uct that contains 2 percent or more cooked 
poultry or 3 percent or more raw meat). 
Consumers purchase these products pack- 
aged with 500,000 different USDA-approved 
labels. 
4 Fe \gency Cooperation in World Trade Activities 
Under the Federal Meat Inspection Act and 
the Poultry Products Inspection Act, FSIS 
inspects all meat and poultry sold in inter- 
state and foreign commerce, including 
imported products. About 7,400 Federal 
inspectors oversee meat and poultry process- 
ing in some 6,200 plants. Inspectors check 
animals before and after slaughter, visually 
examining more than 6 billion poultry car- 
casses and 125 million livestock carcasses, 
including beef, pork, and lamb, each year. 
FSIS personnel prevent diseased animals 
from entering the food supply and examine 
carcasses for visible defects that can affect 
safety and quality. FSIS also inspects prod- 
ucts during processing, handling, and pack- 
aging to ensure that they are safe and 
truthfully labeled. 
FSIS sets standards for a range of activities 
associated with the production of meat and 
poultry products. For instance, the agency 
evaluates and sets standards for food ingredi- 
ents, additives, and compounds used to pre- 
pare and package meat and poultry products. 
All plant facilities and equipment must 
adhere to FSIS standards and be approved 
before they can be used. The agency sets 
labeling standards and approves labels for 
meat and poultry products. FSIS also sets 
standards for certain slaughter and process- 
ing activities, such as plant sanitation and 
thermal processing. 
FSIS develops and improves analytical proce- 
dures for detecting microbiological and 
chemical adulterants and infectious and 
toxic agents in meat and poultry products. 
The agency also develops new methods of 
inspection to better protect the public 
health, evaluating the effectiveness of its 
programs through systematic and special 
reviews. It responds to residue and other 
contamination incidents and, when appro- 
priate, seeks voluntary recall of products by 
firms. FSIS and APHIS also work together on 
animal disease issues. APHIS often shares its 
expertise with FSIS on zoosanitary and phy- 
tosanitary issues. 
