Release No. 0570.96

                                     Johna Pierce  (202) 720-4623
                                     Jacque Knight (202) 720-9113

GLICKMAN ANNOUNCES HEAD OF FOOD SAFETY AGENCY

     WASHINGTON, Oct. 17, 1996--Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman today
announced the appointment of Thomas J. Billy to be Administrator of the Food
Safety and Inspection Service.  Billy has been FSIS Associate Administrator
since 1994 and was instrumental in the development of the meat and poultry
inspection reforms announced in July by President Clinton.

     "Tom Billy is a food safety leader who has earned the confidence of
consumers and industry alike," said Glickman.  "Tom is extraordinarily well
prepared to lead the implementation of our new food safety system for meat
and poultry."

     "Tom Billy is a seasoned manager with a strong vision for the future of
our food safety program," said Michael R. Taylor, Acting Under Secretary for
Food Safety and, since August 1994, the FSIS Administrator.  "Tom Billy has
worked hard to develop our new food safety strategy and regulations, and
their implementation could not be in better hands."

     On July 25, 1996, USDA published its final Pathogen Reduction/Hazard
Analysis and Critical Control Points regulations -- or HACCP --  which
establish the framework for science-based reforms of meat and poultry
inspection that will reduce bacterial contamination and improve food safety.
Implementation of the new rule, which will fundamentally change the
inspection program, begins in January 1997, and will be phased in over the
following three years.

     "Tom Billy's appointment ensures there will be complete continuity
between the design and implementation of our new food safety system," said
Glickman.  "Maintaining the momentum of  food safety reform is a top priority
of this Department."

     "I am honored to be named the administrator of FSIS," Billy said.  "I
look forward to leading the implementation of our new food safety system.
Although the new food safety framework is in place, many challenges remain.
With full public involvement and the continued support of our dedicated
employees, we will successfully achieve our goals."

     Billy has served since October 1994 as FSIS Associate Administrator
with lead responsibility for policy and program development.  Prior to
joining FSIS, he served three years as director of the Office of Seafood at
the Food and Drug Administration, and before that held several leadership
positions in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the
Department of Commerce.

     Outgoing FSIS Administrator Mike Taylor will continue as Acting Under
Secretary for Food Safety until his planned return to the private sector by
the middle of November.

     Taylor will rejoin the law firm of King & Spalding, where he practiced
from 1981 until he entered government service in 1991.  During the coming
year, Taylor will also pursue research and writing interests as a Visiting
Scholar at the Center for Risk Management with Resources for the Future
(RFF).  RFF is a non-profit research organization that conducts research and
policy analysis concerning natural resources and the management of risks to
public health and the environment.

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