The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service will no longer require the condemnation of poultry carcasses affected with one or more forms of the avian leukosis complex. After carefully considering public comments, FSIS is finalizing the 2022 proposed rule, with no additional changes, to treat avian leukosis as a trimmable condition.

FSIS routinely evaluates the effectiveness of its regulations to ensure they are meaningful to public health protection. The agency initiated rulemaking for leukosis in response to a 2019 National Chicken Council petition, which stated the leukosis regulations reflected an outdated understanding of this disease, imposed unnecessary costs on industry, and presented a potential barrier to young chicken establishments that may want to convert to the new poultry inspection system. After careful evaluation, FSIS determined that current scientific evidence supports treating avian leukosis as a trimmable condition consistent with regulatory provisions for other poultry diseases and conditions such as arthritis, bruises, and abscesses.

Avian leukosis presents no human health concern and, over the years, has become rarer and nearly eradicated among commercial broiler flocks as a result of widespread industry efforts that include vaccination and flock management practices, such as strict sanitation and selective breeding. The agency will continue to inspect for this condition. If present, tumors are localized and do not affect other parts of the carcass. Per federal regulations, any organ or part of a carcass affected by a localized tumor is adulterated and, therefore, must be trimmed by establishment employees before unaffected parts of carcasses can be inspected by FSIS. All carcasses and parts must pass FSIS inspection before moving through the production process.

Small and very small poultry establishments that choose to address leukosis by trimming affected areas are likely to benefit from cost savings associated with this rule. The final rule will publish in the Federal Register, containing more information and a summary of comments and FSIS responses.

Source: USDA FSIS