Participating meat-type chicken slaughter plants that have met the respective requirements specified in this section may be designated by the following terms and the corresponding designs illustrated in §146.9 of this part:

(a) U.S. H5/H7 Avian Influenza Monitored. This program is intended to be the basis from which the meat-type chicken industry may conduct a program to monitor for the H5/H7 subtypes of avian influenza. It is intended to determine the presence of the H5/H7 subtypes of avian influenza in meat-type chickens through routine surveillance of each participating meat-type chicken slaughter plant. A meat-type chicken slaughter plant will qualify for this classification when the Official State Agency determines that it has met one of the following requirements:

(1) It is a meat-type chicken slaughter plant where a minimum of 11 birds per shift are tested negative for the H5/H7 subtypes of avian influenza, as provided in §146.13(b), at slaughter; Provided, that with the approval of the Official State Agency, fewer than 11 birds per shift may be tested on any given shift if the total number of birds tested during the operating month is equivalent to testing 11 birds per shift; or

(2) It is a meat-type chicken slaughter plant which accepts only meat-type chickens from flocks where a minimum of 11 birds have been tested negative for antibodies to the H5/H7 subtypes of avian influenza, as provided in §146.13(b), no more than 21 days prior to slaughter; or

(3) It is a meat-type chicken slaughter plant that has an ongoing active and diagnostic surveillance program for the H5/H7 subtypes of avian influenza in which the number of birds tested is equivalent to the number required in paragraph (a)(1) or (a)(2) and that is approved by the Official State Agency and the Service.

(b) [Reserved]

[71 FR 56328, Sept. 26, 2006, as amended at 76 FR 15797, Mar. 22, 2011; 79 FR 38766, July 9, 2014]