Standards for Grades of Slaughter Cattle and Standards for Grades of Carcass Beef

This document postpones the effective date of the final rule (61 FR 2891-2898) to revise the official U.S. standards for grades of carcass beef and the related standards for grades of slaughter cattle from July 1, 1996, until January 31, 1997. Upon the effective date, the changes eliminate ``B'' maturity (approximately 30-42 months of age) carcasses with small or slight marbling degrees from the Choice and Select grades and include them in the Standard grade. This action is being taken because carcasses with these characteristics have been shown to be both variable and often unacceptable in palatability, which contributes significantly to inconsistent palatability of Choice and Select grade beef. The standards for grades of slaughter cattle, which are based on the beef carcass grades, are revised to parallel the changes in the beef carcass grade standards. The extension of the effective date is in response to several requests asking for additional time to make needed adjustments to management strategies in order to respond to the grade change.