1. Official Designation

   The Committee shall be known as the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI), hereafter referred to as the Committee or the NACMPI.

2. Authority

   The NACMPI is established to advise the Secretary, as authorized under section 301(a)(4) of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) (21 U.S.C. 661(a) (4)) to carry out the responsibilities imposed by sections 7(c), 24, 205, 301(a) (3), and 301(c) of the FMIA (21 U.S.C. 607(c), 624, 645, 661(a) (3), and 661(c)), and authorized under section 5(s)(4) of the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA)(21 U.S.C. 454 (a) (4) to carry out the responsibilities imposed by sections 5(a) (3), 5(c), 8(b), and 11(e) of the PPIA (21 U.S.C. 454(a) (3), 454(c), 457(b), and 460(e)).

   The Committee operates in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), as amended, 5 U.S.C. Appendix 2.

3. Objective and Scope of Activities

   The purpose of the Committee is to provide advice to the Secretary concerning State and Federal programs with respect to meat, poultry, and processed egg products inspection; food safety; and other matters that fall within the scope of the FMIA, PPIA and the Egg Products Inspection Act (EPIA).

4. Description of Duties

   The duties of the NACMPI are solely advisory in nature.

5. Agency or Official to Whom the Committee Reports

   The Committee reports to the Secretary of Agriculture through the Under Secretary for Food Safety.

6. Support

   The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) will provide administrative staff support to the Committee.

7. Estimated Annual Operating Costs and Staff Years

   The total budget for NACMPI will be $60,000 per fiscal year, with .13 of one full time employee (FTE). In the performance of their duties away from their homes or regular places of business, Committee members may be allowed reimbursement for travel expenses including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 5703.

8. Designated Federal Officer (DFO)

   A permanent Federal employee, appointed in accordance with agency procedures serves as the DFO. The DFO will approve the advisory committee and subcommittees meetings, prepare and approve all meeting agendas, attend all committee and subcommittee meetings, adjourn any meeting when the DFO determines adjournment to be in the public interest, and chair meetings when directed to do so by the official to whom the advisory committee reports.

9. Estimated Number and Frequency of Meetings

   The Committee will meet 1-2 times each year and the subcommittees will meet as deemed necessary by the Chairperson and the DFO.

10. Duration of the Committee

    Continuing.

11. Termination Date

    The Committee shall terminate two years from the date this charter is filed, unless the Secretary of Agriculture determines prior to that date that continuation of work is not in the public interest. The Committee will not meet or take any action without a valid filed charter in accordance with 41 CFR 102-3.70.

12. Membership and Designation

    12a. This Committee shall be fairly balanced in its membership in terms of the points of view represented and the functions to be performed. Staggering membership terms and limiting the number of renewed memberships assist in maintaining a balanced membership.

    12b. Equal opportunity practices, in line with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) policies, will be followed in all membership appointments to the committee. To ensure that the recommendations of the committee have taken into account the needs of the diverse groups served by the Department, membership shall include, to the extent practicable, individuals with demonstrated ability to represent minorities, women, and persons with disabilities.

    12c. In accordance with Federal civil rights law and USDA civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.

    The Secretary of Agriculture appoints the membership of the Committee. Furthermore, members serve for two-year terms, and can serve no more than two consecutive terms. Membership shall consist of not more than 20 individuals with diverse capabilities distinguished by their knowledge and interest in meat and poultry safety and other FSIS responsibilities. Members shall be drawn from representatives of state and local governments; industry and trade associations; public health, scientific, and academic communities; and consumers and consumer organizations.

    The Associate Commissioner for Food Protection of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or his or her representative, and the Director of the Food Safety Office of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or his or her representative, shall be ex officio members of the Committee.

    12d. The Secretary of Agriculture or designee will appoint the Chairperson who is recognized for his and her ability to lead a group in a fair and focused manner and who has been briefed on the mission of this Committee. 

    12e. Ethics Statement

    To maintain the highest levels of honesty, integrity and ethical conduct, no Committee or subcommittee member shall participate in any specific party matters (i.e., matters are narrowly focused and typically involve specific transactions between identified parties) such as a lease, license, permit, contract, claim, grant, agreement, or related litigation with the Department in which the member has a direct or indirect financial interest. This includes the requirement for Committee or Subcommittee members to immediately disclose to the DFO any specific party matter in which the member's immediate family, relatives, business partners or employer would be directly seeking to financially benefit from the Committee's recommendations.

    "Representatives" are not subject to Federal ethics laws because such appointment allows them to represent the points of view of a particular group, business sector or segment of the public.

    Members appointed as "Special Government Employees" (SGEs) are considered intermittent Federal employees and are subject to Federal ethics laws. SGEs are appointed due to their personal knowledge, academic scholarship, background or expertise. No SGE may participate in any activity in which the member has a prohibited financial interest. Appointees who are SGEs are required to complete and submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE-450 form) and, upon request, USDA will assist SGEs in preparing these financial reports. To ensure the highest level of compliance with applicable ethical standards USDA will provide ethics training to SGEs on an annual basis. The provisions of these paragraphs are not meant to exhaustively cover all Federal ethics laws and do not affect any other statutory or regulatory obligations to which advisory committee members are subject..

13. Subcommittees

    FSIS has the authority to create subcommittees. Subcommittees must report back to the parent committee and must not provide advice or work products directly to the Agency.

14. Recordkeeping

    The records of this Committee, formally and informally established subcommittees, or other subgroups of the committee, shall be handled in accordance with General Records Schedule (GRS) 6.2 or other approved agency records disposition schedule. These records shall be available for public inspection and copying, subject to the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552. Information about this Committee is available online at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/regulations/advisory-committees

15. Filing Date

    January 28, 2020

FSIS is seeking nominations for membership on the USDA’s National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection. The nomination process occurs every two years. The nomination criteria and background are:

• Persons from industry; state and federal government; public health, scientific, and academic communities; and consumers and consumer organizations, as well as all other interested persons are invited to submit nominations.  Self-nominations are welcome.
• To ensure that recommendations of the Committee take into account the needs of the diverse groups served by the Department, membership will include, to the extent practicable, persons with demonstrated ability to represent minorities, women, and persons with disabilities. 
• The full Committee consists of no more than 20 members, and each person selected is expected to serve a two-year term. Members are limited to two consecutive terms (maximum four years). Anyone wishing to nominate or be nominated must submit the name(s) of the nominee(s), curriculum vitae or resume and a completed AD-755 form.  The AD-755 form is available online at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/forms.

Nominations may be sent by mail to:

Valeria Green, Designated Federal Officer
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.

Mail Stop 3783, Patriots Plaza III, Room 9-267A
Washington, D.C. 20250
Attn: National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection

Selections are made several months after the publication of the solicitation Notice in the Federal Register. 

• It is anticipated that the Committee will meet at least once annually in Washington, D.C.
• Travel and per diem expenses for Committee members are covered by USDA.

For further information, contact NACMPI@fsis.usda.gov.

Membership in the Committee has been broadened to provide greater representation from state and consumer interests; this will result in more substantial contributions to USDA's regulatory policy development. The Committee will serve as a forum for significant sharing of ideas and insight about how our regulatory system can best serve both consumers and industry. The public is invited to participate in this process by making comments and suggestions in writing or by attending one of the meetings.

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