General Conference Committee of the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) and the NPIP Biennial Conference; Meeting

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

[Docket No. 94-024-1]

General Conference Committee of the National Poultry Improvement

Plan (NPIP) and the NPIP Biennial Conference; Meeting

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

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SUMMARY: We are giving notice of a meeting of the General Conference

Committee of the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) and of the

NPIP Biennial Conference.

PLACE, DATES, AND TIMES OF MEETING: The meeting and conference will be

held at the Nashville Airport Marriott, 600 Marriott Drive, Nashville,

Tennessee, 37214, (615) 889-9300. The General Conference Committee will

meet on June 26, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Biennial Conference will

meet on June 27 and June 28, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day and on June

29, 1994, from 8 a.m. to noon.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Andrew Rhorer, Senior Coordinator,

Sheep, Goat, Equine, and Poultry Diseases Staff, Veterinary Services,

APHIS, USDA, room 205, Presidential Building, Hyattsville, MD 20782,

(301) 436-7768.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The General Conference Committee of the

National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP), representing cooperating

State agencies and poultry industry members, serves an essential

function by acting as liaison between the poultry industry and the

Department in matters pertaining to poultry health. In addition, this

Committee assists the Department in planning, organizing, and

conducting the NPIP Biennial Conference.

Tentative topics for discussion include proposed changes to the

NPIP that would:

1. Provide for the culture of cull chicks, meconium and hatcher

trays in egg-type flocks that have an environment positive for

Salmonella enteritidis (SE).

2. Propose a voluntary program for SE-tested started poultry.

3. Provide for a mid-lay serological test of suspect breeding

flocks for S. pullorum and S. gallinarum.

4. Provide for the retesting of pullorum-typhoid plate positive

serum specimens with the tube agglutination test or the

microagglutination test for pullorum-typhoid.

5. Add the laboratory protocol for the bacteriological examination

of baby chicks.

6. Amend the U.S. S. Enteritidis Monitored program for egg-type

chickens by disqualifying a breeding flock with an SE positive

environment and require the monitoring of rodents.

7. Alter the number of birds monitored for M. gallisepticum (MG) in

egg-type chickens.

8. Alter the number of birds monitored for M. synoviae (MS) in egg-

type chickens.

9. Approve fishmeal as an animal protein source for egg-type

chickens.

10. Approve fishmeal as an animal protein source for turkeys.

11. Provide for different sample sizes of birds screened for MG

using the enzyme-labeled immunosorbent assay test (ELISA).

12. Provide for different sample sizes of birds screened for MS

using ELISA.

13. Amend the age at which Exhibition Poultry, Game Birds, and

Waterfowl (subpart E) are blood tested for pullorum-typhoid.

14. Create a new SE-free classification for meat-type chickens.

15. Establish a number of serum plate positive samples that will be

examined using the hemagglutination inhibition (HI) and/or the serum

plate dilution (SPD) test.

16. Establish a new MS clean-state status for turkeys.

17. Reduce the paperwork load on subpart E hatcheries.

The meeting and conference will be open to the public. The sessions

will include the delegates to the Biennial NPIP Conference,

representing State officials and poultry industry personnel from the 47

cooperating States. However, due to time constraints, the public will

not be allowed to participate in the committee's discussions. Persons

interested in expressing their views concerning the above topics, or

other aspects of the NPIP, should send their written comments to Mr.

Andrew Rhorer at the address listed under

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Written comments may also be filed at

the time of the meeting. Please refer to Docket Number 94-024-1 when

submitting your comments.

Written comments received by Mr. Rhorer may be inspected in room

205 of the Presidential Building between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday

through Friday, except holidays.

This notice is given in compliance with the Federal Advisory

Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463).

Done in Washington, DC, this 9th day of May 1994.

Lonnie J. King,

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 94-11680 Filed 5-12-94; 8:45 am]

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