Calf carcasses from animals suspected of containing biological residues under § 309.16(d) of this subchapter shall, on post-mortem inspection, be handled in accordance with the provisions of this section.

For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:

Calf. A calf up to 3 weeks of age or up to 150 pounds.

Certified calf. A calf that the producer and all other subsequent custodians of the calf certify in writing has not been treated with any animal drug while in his or her custody or has been treated with one or more drugs in accordance with FDA approved label directions while in his or her custody and has been withheld from slaughter for the period(s) of time specified by those label directions.

Healthy carcass. A carcass that an inspector determines shows no lesions of disease or signs of disease treatment at post-mortem inspection

Producer. The owner of the calf at the time of its birth.

Sick calf carcass. A calf carcass that an inspector on post-mortem inspection determines has either signs of disease treatment or lesions of disease or was from an animal identified as sick on ante-mortem.

Sign of treatment. Sign of treatment of a disease is indicated by leakage around jugular veins, subcutaneous, intramuscular or intraperitoneal injection lesions, or discoloration from particles or oral treatment in any part of the digestive tract.

Veterinary medical officer. An inspector of the Program that has obtained a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree which is recognized by the Program.

Selection of carcasses for testing. The inspector shall perform a swab bioassay test 1 on:

1 The procedures for performing the swab bioassay test are set forth in one of two self-instructional guides: “Performing the CAST” or “Fast Antimicrobial Screen Test.” These guides are available for review in the office of the FSIS Docket Clerk, Room 4352 South, Food Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC 20250.

Any carcass from a calf tagged as “U.S. Suspect” at the time of ante-mortem inspection, except that calves whose carcasses are condemned for pathology shall not be tested for drug residues.

Any carcass which he/she finds has either lesions of disease which is not condemned because of these lesions or a sign of treatment of disease at the time of post-mortem inspection,

Any carcass of a calf from a producer whose calf or calves have previously been condemned for residues as prescribed in paragraph (e) of this section, and

Carcasses from healthy-appearing certified and noncertified calves, as determined by the veterinary medical officer during ante-mortem inspection, will be selected for testing as set forth below:

Testing of carcasses:

The inspector shall test all carcasses as prescribed in paragraph (c) of this section.

Upon initiation of this program at an establishment, the inspector shall begin the testing rate for carcasses from healthy-appearing certified and noncertified calves at Level D as prescribed in paragraph (c)(4) of this section. The inspector shall increase the testing rate to the next higher level the following business day when three carcasses in 100 or less consecutively tested show a positive test result for a drug residue. The inspector shall decrease it to the next lower level when no more than two calves show a positive test result for a drug residue in either 500 calves consecutively tested or all calves tested over a 60 working day period.

Test results shall be determined by the veterinary medical officer.

The establishment may designate one or more of its employees to aid the inspector in performing the swab bioassay test under the supervision of the veterinary medical officer who shall interpret the results, maintain animal identification with the test unit, and ensure integrity of the testing program.

All carcasses and parts thereof from calves selected for testing shall be retained until all test results are complete.

The veterinary medical officer shall condemn all carcasses and parts thereof for which there are positive test results and release for human consumption all carcasses and parts thereof for which there are negative test results.

If there is a positive test result, subsequent calves from the producer of the calf shall be tested in accordance with paragraph (e) of this section. These test results will not be included in computations to determine an establishment's compliance record.

The veterinary medical officer may reduce inspection line rates when, in his/her judgment, the prescribed testing cannot be adequately performed within the time available because the establishment's compliance history dictates a need for extensive testing.

Calves from producers with a previous residue condemnation. The inspector shall perform a swab bioassay test on all carcasses of all calves in the group. The veterinary medical officer shall determine the test results and shall condemn any carcass and parts thereof for which there is a positive test result and pass for human consumption any such carcass and parts thereof for which there is a negative test result. All subsequent calves from the same producer which has previously sold or delivered to official establishments any carcass that was condemned because of drug residues must be tested according to this paragraph until five consecutive animals test completely free of animal drug residues.

If the owner or operator of an official establishment disagrees with the veterinary medical officer's disposition of carcasses and parts thereof, the owner or operator may appeal as provided in section 306.5 of this chapter.