351.10 Facilities.

351.10.a Facilities for the preparation, identification, and storage of the technical animal fat to be certified shall be furnished and maintained by the certified plant in accordance with this section.

351.10.b The operator of the certified plant shall provide at the plant, rooms, compartments, and equipment needed to maintain the identity of certified technical animal fats and materials used in their preparation, and separation of such articles from other products. Such rooms, compartments, and equipment shall be conspicuously marked with the phrase "Certified Technical Animal Fat" whenever they contain these fats.

351.11 Identification and separation of technical animal fats for certification and materials for use therein; removal of wrappers, etc.; cleaning of equipment.

351.11.a All technical animal fat to be offered for certification under this part and materials to be used in the preparation of such fat, and all certified technical animal fat, shall be identified and kept separate from other products from the time of receipt at a certified plant and throughout processing or handling at such plant. All wrappers and packaging shall be removed from the source materials to the fullest extent practicable before the materials are rendered at the plant.

351.11.b If a plant's operations are within the provisions of Sec. 351.14(b)(3), all equipment shall be cleaned before it is used for receiving, preparation, or storage of certified technical animal fats or material to be used in preparation of such fats. Such cleaning shall be done in such manner as to prevent contamination of such certified fats or source material with materials that are unacceptable under Sec. 351.3.

351.12 Circuit supervisor to be informed when plant operates.

The operator of each certified plant shall inform the circuit supervisor, in advance, when the plant's work schedule will include preparing technical animal fats for certification and identify the approximate days and hours when operations will begin and end.

351.13 Inspectors to have access to certified plants at all times.

For the purpose of administering the regulations in this part, inspectors shall have access at all times by day or night to every part of a certified plant.

351.14 Processes to be supervised; extent of examinations.

351.14.a All processes used in the preparation of certified technical animal fats at any certified plant shall be subject to supervision by an inspector. Certified plants shall not prepare any technical animal fat for certification under the regulations in this part, except in accordance with such regulations.

351.14.b Supervision, ranging from full-time coverage of an entire process to one or more reviews per month, to determine a plant's compliance with the regulations in this part will be maintained. A circuit supervisor may increase the frequency of reviews whenever he deems necessary to assure the validity of certifications under the regulations in this part. Usual coverage of individual rendering plants will be as follows:

351.14.b.1 Coverage shall be at least once a month if the plant consistently handles only raw materials acceptable under Sec. 351.3 for the preparation of certified technical animal fat and the plant operator, in writing, certifies that he is maintaining this procedure.

351.14.b.2 Coverage shall be at least once a week if the plant consistently handles some raw materials that are acceptable, and some that are unacceptable, under Sec. 351.3, for the preparation of certified technical animal fat, uses separate equipment for processing, and uses separate rooms, compartments, and equipment for receiving and storing the respective types of raw materials and technical animal fats, and the plant operator, in writing, certifies that he is maintaining this complete physical separation procedure.

351.14.b.3 Coverage shall be fulltime during receiving of raw materials and their preparation into certified technical animal fat, if the plant handles some raw materials that are acceptable, and some that are unacceptable, under Sec. 351.3, for the preparation of certified technical animal fat, and uses the same rooms, compartments, and equipment, with only time separation between receiving, processing, and storing the respective types of raw materials and technical animal fats.

351.15 Reports of violations.

Inspectors shall report to the circuit supervisor any apparent violations of the regulations in this part or the Federal Meat Inspection Act or regulations thereunder (subchapter A of this chapter) which occur at certified plants, or elsewhere, within their knowledge. The circuit supervisor shall report such actions to the Administrator through appropriate channels.

Transportation and Exportation of Certified Technical Animal Fat

351.16 Certificate required for shipments of technical animal fat.

No certified plant shall export any certified technical animal fat unless the shipment is accompanied by a certificate issued under Sec. 351.3.

351.17 Identification required.

Certified technical animal fats being exported directly from a certified plant or transferred between certified plants for storage for export are subject to the requirements of Sec. 325.11 of this chapter. In addition, such shipments between certified plants shall be accompanied by MP Form 85 (Declaration to Accompany Technical Animal Fats Between Certified Technical Animal Fat Plants) {2} prepared by the operator of the certified plant from which shipment is made, certifying that the product has been obtained by rendering raw materials derived from federally or State inspected and passed carcasses, or parts of carcasses. Technical animal fat described on MP Form 85 as tallow must meet the definition of "Tallow" in Sec. 351.2.

{2} Copy filed as part of the original document.