The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service is announcing that it will hold two public meetings to hear public comments on the proposed regulation for a mandatory inspection program of catfish and catfish products.

The first meeting will be held May 24 from 9 a.m. to noon in the Jefferson Auditorium of USDA's South Building, located at 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., in Washington, D.C. 20250. Attendees should enter the building via Wing 5 or 7 on 14th Street. The second meeting will be held in Stoneville, Miss., May 26 from 9 a.m. to noon (Central Time) in the Charles Capp Center at the Delta Research and Extension Center of Mississippi State University, located at 82 Stoneville Road, Stoneville, Miss. 38776. Meeting times at each location may be adjusted according to public participation and comments.

The meetings will give the public an opportunity to comment on the proposed rule, which is available at www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FRPubs/2008-0031.pdf.

Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. local time at each location. Pre-registration for this meeting is recommended. To pre-register, view the agenda and other documents related to the meetings, access the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/News/Meetings_&_Events/.

Source: FSIS