To amend the Poultry Products Inspection Act to cover birds of the order Ratitae that are raised for use as human food. (Introduced in the House)

HR 765 IH

106th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 765

To amend the Poultry Products Inspection Act to cover birds of the order Ratitae that are raised for use as human food.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

February 12, 1999

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi (for himself, Mr. BISHOP, and Mr. SHOWS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

A BILL

To amend the Poultry Products Inspection Act to cover birds of the order Ratitae that are raised for use as human food.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. EXPANSION OF DEFINITION OF POULTRY TO INCLUDE RATITES.

(a) DEFINITION OF POULTRY- Section 4(e) of the Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 453(e)) is amended by adding at the end the following new sentence: `The term includes birds of the order Ratitae, such as ostriches, emus, and rheas, that are raised for distribution in commerce as human food.'.

(b) IMPLEMENTATION OF AMENDMENT- Beginning 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, establishments in the United States that slaughter or process birds of the order Ratitae for distribution in commerce as human food shall be subject to the ante mortem and post mortem inspection, reinspection and sanitation requirements of the Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 451 et seq.) rather than the voluntary poultry inspection program of the Department of Agriculture under section 203 of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1622).