Volume 3

National shellfish sanitation program manual of operations.

  • United States. Public Health Service. Division of Environmental Engineering and Food Protection.
Date:
1965]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: National shellfish sanitation program manual of operations. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    11/32 (page 5)
    2. Procedure.—The following procedure will be observed by the PHS in fulfillment of its obligation in the National Shellfish Sanitation Program: a. Each State desiring to participate in the National Shellfish Sanitation Program will sub- mit a formal request to the PHS Regional Health Director: Provided, That this require- ment will apply only to States entering the pro- gram on an original basis or after a lapse in participation. This request, to be signed by the senior official of the State agency having pri- mary responsibility for shellfish sanitation con- trol, shall include a statement to the effect that an interagency agreement exists between the -State agencies sharing program responsibilities and that the State recognizes its responsibilities and obligations in the National Shellfish Sani- tation Program, and is willing to assist the PHS in making necessary reviews and inspections for State program appraisal. State participation in the National Shellfish Sanitation Program can thereafter be continuous; i.e., States will not have to file an annual notice with the PHS of their intent to participate in the program sub- sequent to the initial request. However, the regional offices may, at their discretion, request that States signify yearly their desire to par- ticipate in this program for the following fis- cal year of the State. A State may withdraw from the Nationa] Shellfish Sanitation Program at any time upon written notification tothe Re- gional office of the PHS. b. PHS will complete a yearly appraisal of each State shellfish sanitation program, utiliz- ing the procedures described in this manual. Field visits will be prearranged with States. PHS will initiate arrangements for such visits. PHS will submit trip reports to the States de- scribing any corrective actions which should be taken by the States. ec. PHS will make periodic spot checks of States shellfish sanitation activities, particularly patrol and plant sanitation operations. d. PHS will publish a yearly report on the status of the National Shellfish Sanitation Pro- gram. This report will describe progress made in both administrative and technical aspects of the program, wil] discuss problems which must be faced by the program, and will present a statistical review of the State activities. Neither comparative nor specific ratings for individual States will be shown in this yearly status report. The report will be made available to all persons interested in the Nationa] Shellfish Sanitation Program and, if feasible, will be published in a condensed form in a suitable technical journal. e. A State program with a rating of less than 70 percent in any one of the eight identified program elements—general administrative pro- cedures, laboratory, sanitary survey, relaying, depuration, patrol, harvesting, and shucking- packing—will not be eligible for endorsement by the Public Health Service 90 days after being formally notified of the rating unless the State demonstrates that suitable corrective action has been taken. Withdrawal of the State program endorsement will be initiated by the PHS Re- gional Office after discussion with the appro- priate State officials, and will be subject to re- view through established PHS policy channels at Headquarters level. If the State desires par- ticipation in the National Shellfish Sanitation Program subsequent to PHS withdrawal of en- dorsement, the director of the State agency hav- ing primary responsibility for shellfish control must make application to the Regional Health Director for reappraisal of the State’s program. In submitting this application, the State shall describe the measures taken to correct the noted deficiencies. f. In an emergency situation, the PHS will take immediate steps to temporarily suspend en- dorsement of a State program when it is found that a condition exists in which interstate ship- ment of shellfish therefrom would be likely to cause disease. Such action will be initiated by the Regional Program Director through estab- lished communication channels after first advis- ing the State of the proposed action. g. PHS will publish a periodic list of shellfish shippers certified by the endorsed States. h. PHS will keep the Food and Drug Ad- ministration informed of technical and admin- istrative developments in the National Shellfish Sanitation Program in accord with the existing intradepartmental agreement (Appendix A). i. PHS will keep the Fish and Wildlife Serv- ice fully informed of technical and administra- tive developments of the National Shellfish Sanitation Program in accord with the existing interdepartmental agreement (Appendix B).