In the March 12, 2015, Federal Register, USDA's FSIS announced the extension of the effective date for foreign inspection certificate requirements to ensure that countries have sufficient time to adjust to the new requirements. The final rule announcing the new requirements was published on September 19, 2014, and amended the meat, poultry, and egg products import regulations to provide for the Agency's Public Health Information System Import Component. Among other changes, the rule also removed from the regulations the discontinued "streamlined" import inspection procedures for Canadian products and required Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures at official import inspection establishments. The original effective date of the rule was November 18, 2014, but FSIS will now allow countries to continue under existing inspection certificates until March 18, 2015. The new compliance date is March 18, 2015.
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