The calls started coming into AAMP from processors complaining that USDA was tagging all their products in natural casings.  USDA inspectors were telling the processors that they had to take "regulatory action" on products with beef casings and on beef casings themselves.  Turns out that in one area of the FSIS Philadelphia District, products were being sold in beef casings that may have come from Brazil and other countries judged to be "BSE free."  (There are 22 countries considered to be "BSE free."  Beef casings were discovered in several plants in the Pittsburgh area that lacked proof of when the casings were made.  At the same time,  a New York City casing supplier was found to have documentation containing a big mistake:  a letter showing that the casings were made since January 12.  'Fact is, they were actually manufactured before then, and would be OK to use.

If you remember, back in January, FSIS published notices stating that products in casings made from beef rounds (the small intestines of cattle) could no longer be sold, because those animal parts were judged to be Specified Risk Materials (SRMs) because of the threat they might be carrying BSE.  One of the "firewalls" USDA put up after the one case of BSE was discovered in a cow in the United States last December was banning the use of small intestines from beef cattle to make casings for sausage and other meat products.

Philadelphia FSIS District Manager Jan Behney first told AAMP that casings from countries considered "BSE free" did not pass the test, however casings from beef rounds from cattle slaughtered before January 12, 2004 were OK.  (FSIS Notice 04-4 selling this out was released on January 9.)  For the time being, he was going to allow products containing beef casings to be shipped, but casings themselves would remain on hold in plants until all the FSIS District Managers across the country had a conference call with Dr. Barbara Masters, Acting FSIS Administrator, other top FSIS officials and representatives from the FSIS Technical Service Center in Omaha, NE.  The conference call was held and the following decision was made by FSIS:

The only important issue as far as FSIS is concerned is the date the casings were made, or the date the animal the casings came from was slaughtered.  As long as establishments can provide "credible information" to an inspector, such as a sanitation certificate from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), and documentation from the exporter showing that the animal went through ante mortem and post mortem inspection, and was slaughtered before January 12, 2004, casings made from the beef rounds are OK.  THe question of whether a country is "BSE free" or not is an APHIS issue.  FSIS said it it only interested in enforcing its notices that deal with the issue.

The whole issue of beef casings has become very political.  The North American Natural Sausage Casing Association is seeking White House intervention in the policy that is prohibiting the import of small intestines from nations that are officially "BSE free."   The group says that USDA was incorrect in outlawing use of the entire small intestine from bovines when only a portion is associated with BSE as a risk material.  The association charges that the prohibition denies industry access to the part of the intestine used as beef rounds in many popular sausage varieties.  The association wants to import the safe sections of the small intestines from the "BSE free" countries, but have been told that a decision about this cannot be made until after the election.  However, NANSCA says that the inventories will have been depleted by that time.

The Casing Association also says that the U.S. meat industry will be unable to produce numerous varieties of ring balogna, knockwurst, blood sausage, ring liver sausage and specialty sausages such as kiska, mettwurst, and holsteiner.