2019 Rates Charged for AMS Services, 18232-18236 [2019-08701]
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18232
Notices
Federal Register
Vol. 84, No. 83
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER
contains documents other than rules or
proposed rules that are applicable to the
public. Notices of hearings and investigations,
committee meetings, agency decisions and
rulings, delegations of authority, filing of
petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are
examples of documents appearing in this
section.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Marketing Service
[Document No. AMS–LP–19–0022]
2019 Rates Charged for AMS Services
Agricultural Marketing Service,
USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The Agricultural Marketing
Service (AMS) is announcing the 2019
rates it will charge for voluntary
grading, inspection, certification,
auditing, and laboratory services for a
variety of agricultural commodities
including meat and poultry, fruits and
vegetables, eggs, dairy products, and
cotton and tobacco. The 2019 regular,
overtime, holiday, and laboratory
services rates will be applied at the
beginning of the crop year, fiscal year or
as required by law depending on the
commodity. Other starting dates are
added to this notice based on cotton
industry practices. This action
establishes the rates for user-funded
programs based on costs incurred by
AMS. This year more than half of AMS
user fee rates will remain unchanged or
will decrease, but increases are
necessary to many fees to cover costs.
For consistency, audit fees will now be
the same for all commodities at $115.00
per hour.
DATES: May 1, 2019.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Charles Parrott, AMS, U.S. Department
of Agriculture, Room 3070–S, 1400
Independence Ave. SW, Washington,
DC 20250; telephone (202) 260–9144,
fax (202) 692–0313, email
Charles.parrott@usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, as
amended,(AMA) (7 U.S.C. 1621–1627),
provides for the collection of fees to
cover costs of various inspection,
grading, certification or auditing
services covering many agricultural
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SUMMARY:
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commodities and products. The AMA
also provides for the recovery of costs
incurred in providing laboratory
services. The Cotton Statistics and
Estimates Act (7 U.S.C. 471–476) and
the U.S. Cotton Standards Act (7 U.S.C.
51–65) provide for classification of
cotton and development of cotton
standards materials necessary for cotton
classification. The Cotton Futures Act (7
U.S.C. 15b) provides for futures
certification services and the Tobacco
Inspection Act (7 U.S.C. 511–511s)
provides for tobacco inspection and
grading. These Acts also provide for the
recovery of costs associated with these
services.
On November 13, 2014, the
Department of Agriculture (Department)
published in the Federal Register a final
rule that established standardized
formulas for calculating the fees charged
by AMS user-funded programs (79 FR
67313). Every year since then, the
Department has published in the
Federal Register a notice announcing
the rates for its user–funded programs.
This notice announces the 2019 fee
rates for voluntary grading, inspection,
certification, auditing, and laboratory
services for a variety of agricultural
commodities including meat and
poultry, fruits and vegetables, eggs,
dairy products, and cotton and tobacco
on a per-hour rate and, in some
instances, the equivalent per-unit cost.
The per-unit cost is provided to
facilitate understanding of the costs
associated with the service to the
industries that historically used unitcost basis for payment. The fee rates
will be effective at the beginning of the
fiscal year, crop year, or as required by
specific laws.
The rates reflect direct and indirect
costs of providing services. Direct costs
include the cost of salaries, employee
benefits, and, if applicable, travel and
some operating costs. Indirect or
overhead costs include the cost of
Program and Agency activities
supporting the services provided to the
industry. The formula used to calculate
these rates also includes operating
reserve, which may add to or draw upon
the existing operating reserves.
These services include the grading,
inspection or certification of quality
factors in accordance with established
U.S. Grade Standards or other
specifications; audits or accreditation
according to International Organization
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for Standardization (ISO) standards and/
or Hazard Analysis and Critical Control
Point (HACCP) principles; and other
marketing claims. The quality grades
serve as a basis for market prices and
reflect the value of agricultural
commodities to both producers and
consumers. AMS’ grading and
certification, audit and accreditation,
plant process and equipment
verification, and laboratory approval
services are voluntary tools paid for by
the users on a fee-for-service basis. The
agriculture industry can use these tools
to promote and communicate the
quality of agricultural commodities to
consumers. Laboratory services are
provided for analytic testing, including
but not limited to chemical,
microbiological, biomolecular, and
physical analyses. AMS is required by
statute to recover the costs associated
with these services.
As required by the Cotton Statistics
and Estimates Act (7 U.S.C. 471–476),
consultations regarding the
establishment of the fee for cotton
classification with U.S. cotton industry
representatives are held in the
beginning of the year when most
industry stakeholder meetings take
place. Representatives of all segments of
the cotton industry, including
producers, ginners, bale storage facility
operators, merchants, cooperatives, and
textile manufacturers were informed of
the fees during various industrysponsored forums.
Rates Calculations
AMS calculated the rate for services,
per hour per program employee, using
the following formulas (a per-unit base
is included for programs that charge for
services on a per-unit basis):
(1) Regular rate. The total AMS
grading, inspection, certification,
classification, audit, or laboratory
service program personnel direct pay
divided by direct hours for the previous
year, which is then multiplied by the
next year’s percentage of cost of living
increase, plus the benefits rate, plus the
operating rate, plus the allowance for
bad debt rate. If applicable, travel
expenses may also be added to the cost
of providing the service.
(2) Overtime rate. The total AMS
grading, inspection, certification,
classification, audit, or laboratory
service program personnel direct pay
divided by direct hours, which is then
multiplied by the next year’s percentage
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 83 / Tuesday, April 30, 2019 / Notices
of cost of living increase and then
multiplied by 1.5, plus the benefits rate,
plus the operating rate, plus an
allowance for bad debt. If applicable,
travel expenses may also be added to
the cost of providing the service.
(3) Holiday rate. The total AMS
grading, inspection, certification,
classification, audit, or laboratory
service program personnel direct pay
divided by direct hours, which is then
multiplied by the next year’s percentage
of cost of living increase and then
multiplied by 2, plus the benefits rate,
plus the operating rate, plus an
allowance for bad debt. If applicable,
travel expenses may also be added to
the cost of providing the service.
AMS adjusts the rates to cover all of
its expenses and to provide for
reasonable operating reserves. To avoid
an undue burden on industry operations
in these cases, AMS started to phase in
some of the increases over a multi-year
period. AMS continued this process and
reassessed whether the fee rates and
phase-in period were appropriate based
on the formula and established
operating reserve. Fees are being
adjusted accordingly.
All rates are per-hour except when a
per-unit cost is noted. The specific
amounts in each rate calculation are
available upon request from the specific
AMS program.
2019 RATES
Regular
Overtime
Holiday
Includes
travel costs
in rate
Start date
Cotton Fees
7 CFR Part 27—Cotton Classification Under Cotton Futures Legislation
Subpart A—Regulations; §§ 27.80–27.90 Costs of Classifications and Micronaire
Cotton Standardization
Certification for Futures Contract (Grading services for
samples submitted by CCC-licensed samplers).
$4.25/bale
X
August 1, 2019.
Transfer of Certification Data to New Owner or Certified
Warehouse (Electronic transfer performed).
$0.20/bale
X
August 1, 2019.
7 CFR Part 28—Cotton Classing, Testing, and Standards
Subpart A—Regulations Under the United States Cotton Standards Act; §§ 28.115–28.126 Fees and Costs
Subpart D—Cotton Classification and Market News Service for Producers; § 28.909 Costs; § 28.910 Classification of Samples and
Issuance of Classification Data; § 28.911 Review Classification.
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Cotton Grading
Form 1: Grading Services for Producers (submitted by licensed sampler).
$2.30/bale
X
July 1, 2019.
Form 1 Review (new sample submitted by licensed sampler).
$2.30/bale
X
July 1, 2019.
Form A Determinations (sample submitted by licensed
warehouse).
$2.30/bale
X
July 1, 2019.
Form C Determinations (sample submitted by non-licensed entity; bale sampled under USDA supervision).
$2.30/bale
........................
July 1, 2019.
Form D Determination (sample submitted by owner or
agent; classification represents sample only).
$2.30/bale
X
July 1, 2019.
Foreign Growth Classification (sample of foreign growth
cotton submitted by owner or agent; classification represents sample only).
$6.00/sample
X
August 1, 2019.
Arbitration (comparison of a sample to the official standards or a sample type).
$6.00/sample
X
August 1, 2019.
Practical Cotton Classing Exam (for non-USDA employees).
Exam: $150/applicant; Reexamination: $130/
applicant
X
July 1, 2019.
Special Sample Handling (return of samples per request).
$0.50/sample
X
July 1, 2019.
Electronic Copy of Classification Record .........................
$0.05/bale ($5.00/month minimum with any
records received)
X
July 1, 2019.
Form A Rewrite (reissuance of Form 1, Form A, or Futures Certification data or combination).
$0.15/bale or $5.00/page minimum
X
August 1, 2019.
Form R (reissuance of Form 1 classification only) ...........
$0.15/bale or $5.00/page minimum
X
July 1, 2019.
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 83 / Tuesday, April 30, 2019 / Notices
2019 RATES—Continued
Regular
Overtime
International Instrument Level Assessment ......................
Includes
travel costs
in rate
Holiday
$4.00/sample
X
Start date
July 1, 2019.
Dairy Fees
7 CFR Part 58—Grading and Inspection, General Specifications for Approved Plants and Standards for Grades of Dairy Products
Subpart A—Regulations Governing the Inspection and Grading Services of Manufactured or Processed Dairy Products; §§ 58.38–58.46
Fees and Charges
Continuous Resident Grading Service .............................
Non-resident and Intermittent Grading Service; State
Graders; Equipment Review.
Non-resident Services 6 p.m.–6 a.m. (10 percent night
differential).
Export Certificate Services ...............................................
Special Handling ...............................................................
Fax Charge .......................................................................
Derogation Application ......................................................
$76.00
82.00
$90.92
96.76
$107.24
116.64
X
X
Oct 1, 2019.
Oct 1, 2019.
90.20
106.44
128.32
X
Oct 1, 2019.
82.00
41.00
4.00
123.00
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
........................
........................
........................
........................
Oct
Oct
Oct
Oct
1,
1,
1,
1,
2019.
2019.
2019.
2019.
Specialty Crops Fees
7 CFR Part 51—Fresh Fruits, Vegetables and Other Products (Inspection, Certification, and Standards)
Subpart A—Regulations; §§ 51.37–51.44 Schedule of Fees and Charges at Destination Markets
§ 51.45 Schedule of Fees and Charges at Shipping Point Areas
Quality and Condition Inspections for Whole Lots ...........
$210.00 per lot
........................
Oct 1, 2019.
Quality and Condition Half Lot or Condition-Only Inspections for Whole Lots.
$174.00 per lot
........................
Oct 1, 2019.
Condition—Half Lot ...........................................................
$161.00 per lot
........................
Oct 1, 2019.
Quality and Condition or Condition-Only Inspections for
Additional Lots of the Same Product.
$96.00 per lot
........................
Oct 1, 2019.
Dockside Inspections—Each package weighing <30 lbs.
$0.044 per pkg.
........................
Oct 1, 2019.
Dockside Inspections—Each package weighing >30 lbs.
$0.068 per pkg.
........................
Oct 1, 2019.
Charge per Individual Product for Dockside Inspection ...
$210.00 per lot
........................
Oct 1, 2019.
Charge per Each Additional Lot of the Same Product .....
$96.00 per lot
........................
Oct 1, 2019.
........................
Oct 1, 2019.
Inspections for All Hourly Work ........................................
$93.00
$113.00
$134.00
Audit Services—Federal ...................................................
$115.00
........................
Oct 1, 2019.
Audit Services—State .......................................................
$115.00
........................
Oct 1, 2019.
GFSI Certification Fee ......................................................
$250 per audit
........................
Oct 1, 2019.
7 CFR Part 52—Processed Fruits and Vegetables, Processed Products Thereof, and Other Processed Food Products
Subpart—Regulations Governing Inspection and Certification; §§ 52.41–52.51 Fees and Charges
Lot Inspections ..................................................................
In-plant Inspections Under Annual Contract (year-round)
Additional Graders (in-plant) or Less Than Year-Round ..
$75.00
75.00
85.00
$82.00
80.00
93.00
$101.00
98.00
111.00
X
X
X
Oct 1, 2019.
Oct 1, 2019.
Oct 1, 2019.
Audit Services—Federal ...................................................
$115.00
........................
Oct 1, 2019.
Audit Services—State .......................................................
$115.00
........................
Oct 1, 2019.
GFSI Certification Fee ......................................................
$250 per audit
........................
Oct 1, 2019.
X
........................
X
Oct 1, 2019.
Oct 1, 2019.
Oct 1, 2019.
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Meat Fees
7 CFR Part 54—Meats, Prepared Meats, and Meat Products (Grading, Certification, and Standards)
Subpart A—Regulations; §§ 54.27–54.28 Charges for Service
Commitment/Scheduled 1 Grading ....................................
Non-commitment/Unscheduled Grading ...........................
Night Differential (6 p.m.–6 a.m.) .....................................
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$84.00
114.00
93.00
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$103.00
132.00
113.00
$121.00
154.00
121.00
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 83 / Tuesday, April 30, 2019 / Notices
2019 RATES—Continued
Regular
Overtime
Includes
travel costs
in rate
Holiday
Start date
7 CFR Part 62—Livestock, Meat and Other Agricultural Commodities (Quality Systems Verification Programs)
Subpart A—Quality Systems Verification Definitions; § 62.300 Fees and Other Costs for Service
Auditing Activities ..............................................................
$115.00
........................
Oct 1, 2019.
X
X
X
X
........................
Oct
Oct
Oct
Oct
Oct
........................
Oct 1, 2019.
........................
X
Oct 1, 2019.
Jan 1, 2019.
Poultry Fees
7 CFR Part 56—Voluntary Grading of Shell Eggs
Subpart A—Grading of Shell Eggs; §§ 56.45–56.54 Fees and Charges
7 CFR Part 70—Voluntary Grading of Poultry and Rabbit Products
Subpart A—Grading of Poultry and Rabbit Products; §§ 70.70–70.78 Fees and Charges
Resident/Scheduled 2 Service (in-plant) ...........................
Resident/Scheduled, Night Differential (6 p.m.–6 a.m.) ...
Resident/Scheduled, Sunday Differential .........................
Resident/Scheduled, Sunday and Night Differential ........
Fee Service (non-scheduled) ............................................
3 $62.00
3 $80.00
3 $97.00
3 68.00
3 89.00
3 97.00
3 79.00
3 103.00
3 88.00
3 114.00
99.00
122.00
N/A
N/A
147.00
Audit Service .....................................................................
$115.00
1,
1,
1,
1,
1,
2019.
2019.
2019.
2019.
2019.
Science and Technology Fees
7 CFR Part 91—Services and General Information (Science and Technology)
Subpart I—Fees and Charges; §§ 91.37–91.45
Laboratory Testing Services .............................................
Laboratory Approval Services 4 ........................................
$98.00
188.00
$115.00
212.00
$131.00
237.00
7 CFR Part 75—Regulations for Inspection and Certification of Quality of Agricultural and Vegetable Seeds
§ 75.41 General
Laboratory Testing ............................................................
$58.00
Administrative Fee ............................................................
$86.00
$115.00
$14.50 per certificate
X
Oct 1, 2019.
........................
Oct 1, 2019.
Tobacco Fees
7 CFR Part 29—Tobacco Inspection
Subpart A—Policy Statement and Regulations Governing the Extension of Tobacco Inspection and Price Support Services to New Markets
and to Additional Sales on Designated Markets;
Subpart B—Regulations; §§ 29.123–29.129 Fees and Charges; § 29.500 Fees and charges for inspection and acceptance of imported
tobacco
Subpart F—Policy Statement and Regulations Governing the Identification and Certification of Non-quota Tobacco Produced and Marketed
in Quota Area; § 29.9251 Fees and Charges
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Domestic Permissive Inspection and Certification (regrading of domestic tobacco for processing plants, retesting of imported tobacco, and grading tobacco for
research stations).
$55.00
$64.00
$72.00
........................
July 1, 2019.
Export Permissive Inspection and Certification (grading
of domestic tobacco for manufacturers and dealers for
duty drawback consideration).
$0.0025/pound
X
July 1, 2019.
Grading for Risk Management Agency (for Tobacco
Crop Insurance Quality Adjustment determinations).
$0.015/pound
X
July 1, 2019.
Pesticide Test Sampling (collection of certified tobacco
sample and shipment to AMS National Science Laboratory for testing).
$0.0065/kg or $0.0029/pound
X
July 1, 2019.
Pesticide Retest Sampling (collection of certified tobacco
sample from a previously sampled lot for re-testing at
the AMS National Science Laboratory; fee includes
shipping).
$115.00/sample and $55.00/hour
X
July 1, 2019.
Standards Course (training by USDA-certified instructor
on tobacco grading procedures).
$1,250.00/person
........................
July 1, 2019.
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18236
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 83 / Tuesday, April 30, 2019 / Notices
2019 RATES—Continued
Regular
Import Inspection and Certification (grading of imported
tobacco for manufacturers and dealers).
Overtime
Includes
travel costs
in rate
Holiday
$0.0170/kg or $0.0080/pound
X
Start date
July 1, 2019.
1 Rulemaking
is in progress to change Commitment and Non-commitment to Scheduled and Unscheduled, respectively.
is in progress to change Resident and Fee Service to Scheduled and Unscheduled, respectively.
changes are applied in addition to hourly rates for resident service as specified in Part 56, Subpart A, § 56.52(a)(4); Part 56,
Subpart SA, § 56.54(a)(2); Part 70, Subpart A, § 70.76(a)(2); Part 70, Subpart A, § 70.77(a)(4) and Part 70.
4 Travel costs outside the United States will be added to the fee, if applicable.
2 Rulemaking
3 Administrative
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 15b; 7 U.S.C. 473a–b;
7 U.S.C. 55 and 61; 7 U.S.C. 51–65; 7 U.S.C.
471–476; 7 U.S.C. 511, 511s; and 7 U.S.C.
1621–1627.
Dated: April 25, 2019.
Bruce Summers,
Administrator, Agricultural Marketing
Service.
[FR Doc. 2019–08701 Filed 4–29–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–02–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Research Service
Notice of Intent To Seek OMB Approval
To Collect Information: Forms
Pertaining to the Scientific Peer
Preview of ARS Research Projects
Agricultural Research Service
(ARS), USDA.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:
The proposed information
collection requirement described below
will be submitted to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
review, as required by the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 and OMB
implementing regulations. The
Department is soliciting public
comments on the subject proposal.
DATES: Written comments on this notice
should be submitted on or before July 1,
2019.
ADDRESSES: All comments concerning
this notice should be directed to the
Director and Program Coordinator listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.
Marquea D. King, Director and Program
Coordinator, Office of Scientific Quality
Review (OSQR), Agricultural Research
Service, 5601 Sunnyside Avenue,
Beltsville, Maryland 20705; Telephone:
301–504–3283; Fax: 301–504–1251;
email: marquea.king@usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The OSQR
will seek approval from OMB to update
six existing forms to ensure that ARS
can efficiently manage data associated
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SUMMARY:
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with the peer review of agricultural
research. All forms are transferred and
received electronically and may include
on-line submissions in the future.
Abstract: The OSQR was established
in September 1999 as a result of the
Agricultural Research, Extension, and
Education Reform Act 1998 (‘‘The Act’’)
(Pub. L. 105–185). The Act included
mandates to perform scientific peer
reviews of all research activities
conducted by USDA. The office
manages the ARS peer review system by
centrally coordinating all intramural
peer review functions for ARS research
projects on a 5-year cycle.
Each set of reviews is assigned a
chairperson to govern the panel review
process. Peer reviewers are external to
the Agency and non-ARS scientists.
Peer review panels are convened to
assess the technical/scientific quality
and correctness of each research project
plan. Each panel reviewer receives
information on a range of two to five
ARS research projects.
On average, 150 research projects are
reviewed annually by an estimated 185
reviewers. Whereby approximately 130
are reviewed by a panel and
approximately 20 are reviewed through
an ad hoc (written review) process. The
management and execution of this peer
review process is vastly dependent on
the use of these forms.
The OSQR will seek OMB approval of
the following forms:
1. Confidentiality Agreement Form:
USDA uses this form to document that
a selected reviewer is responsible for
keeping confidential any information
learned during the subject peer review
process. The Confidentiality Agreement
is signed before the reviewer’s
involvement in the peer review process.
The form requires an original signature
and can be submitted electronically.
2. Panelist Information Form: USDA
uses this form to gather the most recent
background information and diversity
and inclusion data about the reviewer,
and information relevant to paying an
honorarium and travel expenses when
needed. Sensitive information is
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transmitted on this form and destroyed
after payment is received.
3. Peer Review of an ARS Research
Project Form (Peer Review Form): USDA
uses this form to guide the reviewer’s
expert comments in written form on the
assigned project plan. The form contains
the criteria for plan review and seeks
the reviewer’s narrative comments and
evaluation.
3. Additional Reviewer Comment
Form: This form is supplied to members
of a panel not assigned as a primary or
secondary reviewer on a particular
project plan; however, it encourages
additional expert comments or
recommendations for any plan
regardless of a reviewer’s assignment as
primary or secondary.
4. Ad Hoc Review Form: USDA uses
this in select cases (e.g., for reviewers
not participating in a panel review). It
contains a check-off listing of action
classes that allows reviewers to provide
an overall rating of the plan.
5. Recommendations for ARS
Research Project Form
(Recommendations Form): USDA uses
this form to guide the panel’s evaluation
and critique of the review process. The
form combines both primary and
secondary reviewers’ recommendations
of the research project plan.
6. Panel Expense Report Form
(Expense Report): USDA uses this form
to document a panel reviewer’s expense
incurred traveling to and attending a
peer review meeting. The expense
report asks reviewers to list lodging,
meal, and transportation expenses.
When completed, the form contains
sensitive information and is held in
compliance with ARS travel guidelines.
This form is used only in rare
circumstance when a panel meeting
requires that reviewers travel.
(1) USDA’s collection of information
on the Confidentiality Agreement Form
is needed to document that a selected
reviewer is responsible for keeping
confidential any information learned
during the subject peer review process.
The Confidentiality Agreement would
be signed before the reviewer’s
involvement in the peer review process.
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 83 (Tuesday, April 30, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18232-18236]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-08701]
========================================================================
Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
appearing in this section.
========================================================================
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 83 / Tuesday, April 30, 2019 /
Notices
[[Page 18232]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Marketing Service
[Document No. AMS-LP-19-0022]
2019 Rates Charged for AMS Services
AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is announcing the
2019 rates it will charge for voluntary grading, inspection,
certification, auditing, and laboratory services for a variety of
agricultural commodities including meat and poultry, fruits and
vegetables, eggs, dairy products, and cotton and tobacco. The 2019
regular, overtime, holiday, and laboratory services rates will be
applied at the beginning of the crop year, fiscal year or as required
by law depending on the commodity. Other starting dates are added to
this notice based on cotton industry practices. This action establishes
the rates for user-funded programs based on costs incurred by AMS. This
year more than half of AMS user fee rates will remain unchanged or will
decrease, but increases are necessary to many fees to cover costs. For
consistency, audit fees will now be the same for all commodities at
$115.00 per hour.
DATES: May 1, 2019.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Charles Parrott, AMS, U.S. Department
of Agriculture, Room 3070-S, 1400 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC
20250; telephone (202) 260-9144, fax (202) 692-0313, email
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, as
amended,(AMA) (7 U.S.C. 1621-1627), provides for the collection of fees
to cover costs of various inspection, grading, certification or
auditing services covering many agricultural commodities and products.
The AMA also provides for the recovery of costs incurred in providing
laboratory services. The Cotton Statistics and Estimates Act (7 U.S.C.
471-476) and the U.S. Cotton Standards Act (7 U.S.C. 51-65) provide for
classification of cotton and development of cotton standards materials
necessary for cotton classification. The Cotton Futures Act (7 U.S.C.
15b) provides for futures certification services and the Tobacco
Inspection Act (7 U.S.C. 511-511s) provides for tobacco inspection and
grading. These Acts also provide for the recovery of costs associated
with these services.
On November 13, 2014, the Department of Agriculture (Department)
published in the Federal Register a final rule that established
standardized formulas for calculating the fees charged by AMS user-
funded programs (79 FR 67313). Every year since then, the Department
has published in the Federal Register a notice announcing the rates for
its user-funded programs.
This notice announces the 2019 fee rates for voluntary grading,
inspection, certification, auditing, and laboratory services for a
variety of agricultural commodities including meat and poultry, fruits
and vegetables, eggs, dairy products, and cotton and tobacco on a per-
hour rate and, in some instances, the equivalent per-unit cost. The
per-unit cost is provided to facilitate understanding of the costs
associated with the service to the industries that historically used
unit-cost basis for payment. The fee rates will be effective at the
beginning of the fiscal year, crop year, or as required by specific
laws.
The rates reflect direct and indirect costs of providing services.
Direct costs include the cost of salaries, employee benefits, and, if
applicable, travel and some operating costs. Indirect or overhead costs
include the cost of Program and Agency activities supporting the
services provided to the industry. The formula used to calculate these
rates also includes operating reserve, which may add to or draw upon
the existing operating reserves.
These services include the grading, inspection or certification of
quality factors in accordance with established U.S. Grade Standards or
other specifications; audits or accreditation according to
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards and/or
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles; and
other marketing claims. The quality grades serve as a basis for market
prices and reflect the value of agricultural commodities to both
producers and consumers. AMS' grading and certification, audit and
accreditation, plant process and equipment verification, and laboratory
approval services are voluntary tools paid for by the users on a fee-
for-service basis. The agriculture industry can use these tools to
promote and communicate the quality of agricultural commodities to
consumers. Laboratory services are provided for analytic testing,
including but not limited to chemical, microbiological, biomolecular,
and physical analyses. AMS is required by statute to recover the costs
associated with these services.
As required by the Cotton Statistics and Estimates Act (7 U.S.C.
471-476), consultations regarding the establishment of the fee for
cotton classification with U.S. cotton industry representatives are
held in the beginning of the year when most industry stakeholder
meetings take place. Representatives of all segments of the cotton
industry, including producers, ginners, bale storage facility
operators, merchants, cooperatives, and textile manufacturers were
informed of the fees during various industry-sponsored forums.
Rates Calculations
AMS calculated the rate for services, per hour per program
employee, using the following formulas (a per-unit base is included for
programs that charge for services on a per-unit basis):
(1) Regular rate. The total AMS grading, inspection, certification,
classification, audit, or laboratory service program personnel direct
pay divided by direct hours for the previous year, which is then
multiplied by the next year's percentage of cost of living increase,
plus the benefits rate, plus the operating rate, plus the allowance for
bad debt rate. If applicable, travel expenses may also be added to the
cost of providing the service.
(2) Overtime rate. The total AMS grading, inspection,
certification, classification, audit, or laboratory service program
personnel direct pay divided by direct hours, which is then multiplied
by the next year's percentage
[[Page 18233]]
of cost of living increase and then multiplied by 1.5, plus the
benefits rate, plus the operating rate, plus an allowance for bad debt.
If applicable, travel expenses may also be added to the cost of
providing the service.
(3) Holiday rate. The total AMS grading, inspection, certification,
classification, audit, or laboratory service program personnel direct
pay divided by direct hours, which is then multiplied by the next
year's percentage of cost of living increase and then multiplied by 2,
plus the benefits rate, plus the operating rate, plus an allowance for
bad debt. If applicable, travel expenses may also be added to the cost
of providing the service.
AMS adjusts the rates to cover all of its expenses and to provide
for reasonable operating reserves. To avoid an undue burden on industry
operations in these cases, AMS started to phase in some of the
increases over a multi-year period. AMS continued this process and
reassessed whether the fee rates and phase-in period were appropriate
based on the formula and established operating reserve. Fees are being
adjusted accordingly.
All rates are per-hour except when a per-unit cost is noted. The
specific amounts in each rate calculation are available upon request
from the specific AMS program.
2019 Rates
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Includes travel
Regular Overtime Holiday costs in rate Start date
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cotton Fees
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 CFR Part 27--Cotton Classification Under Cotton Futures Legislation
Subpart A--Regulations; Sec. Sec. 27.80-27.90 Costs of Classifications and Micronaire............................................................
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cotton Standardization
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Certification for Futures Contract (Grading $4.25/bale X August 1, 2019.
services for samples submitted by CCC-licensed
samplers).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Transfer of Certification Data to New Owner or $0.20/bale X August 1, 2019.
Certified Warehouse (Electronic transfer
performed).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 CFR Part 28--Cotton Classing, Testing, and Standards
Subpart A--Regulations Under the United States Cotton Standards Act; Sec. Sec. 28.115-28.126 Fees and Costs......................................
Subpart D--Cotton Classification and Market News Service for Producers; Sec. 28.909 Costs; Sec. 28.910 Classification of Samples and Issuance of
Classification Data; Sec. 28.911 Review Classification..
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cotton Grading
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Form 1: Grading Services for Producers $2.30/bale X July 1, 2019.
(submitted by licensed sampler).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Form 1 Review (new sample submitted by licensed $2.30/bale X July 1, 2019.
sampler).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Form A Determinations (sample submitted by $2.30/bale X July 1, 2019.
licensed warehouse).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Form C Determinations (sample submitted by non- $2.30/bale ............... July 1, 2019.
licensed entity; bale sampled under USDA
supervision).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Form D Determination (sample submitted by owner $2.30/bale X July 1, 2019.
or agent; classification represents sample
only).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Foreign Growth Classification (sample of $6.00/sample X August 1, 2019.
foreign growth cotton submitted by owner or
agent; classification represents sample only).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Arbitration (comparison of a sample to the $6.00/sample X August 1, 2019.
official standards or a sample type).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Practical Cotton Classing Exam (for non-USDA Exam: $150/applicant; Reexamination: $130/ X July 1, 2019.
employees). applicant
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Special Sample Handling (return of samples per $0.50/sample X July 1, 2019.
request).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Electronic Copy of Classification Record....... $0.05/bale ($5.00/month minimum with any X July 1, 2019.
records received)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Form A Rewrite (reissuance of Form 1, Form A, $0.15/bale or $5.00/page minimum X August 1, 2019.
or Futures Certification data or combination).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Form R (reissuance of Form 1 classification $0.15/bale or $5.00/page minimum X July 1, 2019.
only).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 18234]]
International Instrument Level Assessment...... $4.00/sample X July 1, 2019.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dairy Fees
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 CFR Part 58--Grading and Inspection, General Specifications for Approved Plants and Standards for Grades of Dairy Products
Subpart A--Regulations Governing the Inspection and Grading Services of Manufactured or Processed Dairy Products; Sec. Sec. 58.38-58.46 Fees and
Charges.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Continuous Resident Grading Service............ $76.00 $90.92 $107.24 X Oct 1, 2019.
Non-resident and Intermittent Grading Service; 82.00 96.76 116.64 X Oct 1, 2019.
State Graders; Equipment Review.
Non-resident Services 6 p.m.-6 a.m. (10 percent 90.20 106.44 128.32 X Oct 1, 2019.
night differential).
Export Certificate Services.................... 82.00 N/A N/A ............... Oct 1, 2019.
Special Handling............................... 41.00 N/A N/A ............... Oct 1, 2019.
Fax Charge..................................... 4.00 N/A N/A ............... Oct 1, 2019.
Derogation Application......................... 123.00 N/A N/A ............... Oct 1, 2019.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Specialty Crops Fees
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 CFR Part 51--Fresh Fruits, Vegetables and Other Products (Inspection, Certification, and Standards)
Subpart A--Regulations; Sec. Sec. 51.37-51.44 Schedule of Fees and Charges at Destination Markets................................................
Sec. 51.45 Schedule of Fees and Charges at Shipping Point Areas...............................................................................
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quality and Condition Inspections for Whole $210.00 per lot ............... Oct 1, 2019.
Lots.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quality and Condition Half Lot or Condition- $174.00 per lot ............... Oct 1, 2019.
Only Inspections for Whole Lots.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Condition--Half Lot............................ $161.00 per lot ............... Oct 1, 2019.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quality and Condition or Condition-Only $96.00 per lot ............... Oct 1, 2019.
Inspections for Additional Lots of the Same
Product.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dockside Inspections--Each package weighing <30 $0.044 per pkg. ............... Oct 1, 2019.
lbs..
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dockside Inspections--Each package weighing >30 $0.068 per pkg. ............... Oct 1, 2019.
lbs..
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Charge per Individual Product for Dockside $210.00 per lot ............... Oct 1, 2019.
Inspection.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Charge per Each Additional Lot of the Same $96.00 per lot ............... Oct 1, 2019.
Product.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inspections for All Hourly Work................ $93.00 $113.00 $134.00 ............... Oct 1, 2019.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Audit Services--Federal........................ $115.00 ............... Oct 1, 2019.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Audit Services--State.......................... $115.00 ............... Oct 1, 2019.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GFSI Certification Fee......................... $250 per audit ............... Oct 1, 2019.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 CFR Part 52--Processed Fruits and Vegetables, Processed Products Thereof, and Other Processed Food Products
Subpart--Regulations Governing Inspection and Certification; Sec. Sec. 52.41-52.51 Fees and Charges..............................................
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lot Inspections................................ $75.00 $82.00 $101.00 X Oct 1, 2019.
In-plant Inspections Under Annual Contract 75.00 80.00 98.00 X Oct 1, 2019.
(year-round).
Additional Graders (in-plant) or Less Than Year- 85.00 93.00 111.00 X Oct 1, 2019.
Round.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Audit Services--Federal........................ $115.00 ............... Oct 1, 2019.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Audit Services--State.......................... $115.00 ............... Oct 1, 2019.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GFSI Certification Fee......................... $250 per audit ............... Oct 1, 2019.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meat Fees
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 CFR Part 54--Meats, Prepared Meats, and Meat Products (Grading, Certification, and Standards)
Subpart A--Regulations; Sec. Sec. 54.27-54.28 Charges for Service................................................................................
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commitment/Scheduled \1\ Grading............... $84.00 $103.00 $121.00 X Oct 1, 2019.
Non-commitment/Unscheduled Grading............. 114.00 132.00 154.00 ............... Oct 1, 2019.
Night Differential (6 p.m.-6 a.m.)............. 93.00 113.00 121.00 X Oct 1, 2019.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 18235]]
7 CFR Part 62--Livestock, Meat and Other Agricultural Commodities (Quality Systems Verification Programs)
Subpart A--Quality Systems Verification Definitions; Sec. 62.300 Fees and Other Costs for Service.................................................
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Auditing Activities............................ $115.00 ............... Oct 1, 2019.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Poultry Fees
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 CFR Part 56--Voluntary Grading of Shell Eggs
Subpart A--Grading of Shell Eggs; Sec. Sec. 56.45-56.54 Fees and Charges.........................................................................
7 CFR Part 70--Voluntary Grading of Poultry and Rabbit Products
Subpart A--Grading of Poultry and Rabbit Products; Sec. Sec. 70.70-70.78 Fees and Charges........................................................
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Resident/Scheduled \2\ Service (in-plant)...... \3\ $62.00 \3\ $80.00 \3\ $97.00 X Oct 1, 2019.
Resident/Scheduled, Night Differential (6 p.m.- \3\ 68.00 \3\ 89.00 \3\ 97.00 X Oct 1, 2019.
6 a.m.).
Resident/Scheduled, Sunday Differential........ \3\ 79.00 \3\ 103.00 N/A X Oct 1, 2019.
Resident/Scheduled, Sunday and Night \3\ 88.00 \3\ 114.00 N/A X Oct 1, 2019.
Differential.
Fee Service (non-scheduled).................... 99.00 122.00 147.00 ............... Oct 1, 2019.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Audit Service.................................. $115.00 ............... Oct 1, 2019.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Science and Technology Fees
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 CFR Part 91--Services and General Information (Science and Technology)
Subpart I--Fees and Charges; Sec. Sec. 91.37-91.45...............................................................................................
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Laboratory Testing Services.................... $98.00 $115.00 $131.00 ............... Oct 1, 2019.
Laboratory Approval Services \4\............... 188.00 212.00 237.00 X Jan 1, 2019.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 CFR Part 75--Regulations for Inspection and Certification of Quality of Agricultural and Vegetable Seeds
Sec. 75.41 General................................................................................................................................
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Laboratory Testing............................. $58.00 $86.00 $115.00 X Oct 1, 2019.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Administrative Fee............................. $14.50 per certificate ............... Oct 1, 2019.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tobacco Fees
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 CFR Part 29--Tobacco Inspection
Subpart A--Policy Statement and Regulations Governing the Extension of Tobacco Inspection and Price Support Services to New Markets and to
Additional Sales on Designated Markets;.
Subpart B--Regulations; Sec. Sec. 29.123-29.129 Fees and Charges; Sec. 29.500 Fees and charges for inspection and acceptance of imported
tobacco.
Subpart F--Policy Statement and Regulations Governing the Identification and Certification of Non-quota Tobacco Produced and Marketed in Quota Area;
Sec. 29.9251 Fees and Charges.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Domestic Permissive Inspection and $55.00 $64.00 $72.00 ............... July 1, 2019.
Certification (re-grading of domestic tobacco
for processing plants, retesting of imported
tobacco, and grading tobacco for research
stations).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Export Permissive Inspection and Certification $0.0025/pound X July 1, 2019.
(grading of domestic tobacco for manufacturers
and dealers for duty drawback consideration).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grading for Risk Management Agency (for Tobacco $0.015/pound X July 1, 2019.
Crop Insurance Quality Adjustment
determinations).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pesticide Test Sampling (collection of $0.0065/kg or $0.0029/pound X July 1, 2019.
certified tobacco sample and shipment to AMS
National Science Laboratory for testing).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pesticide Retest Sampling (collection of $115.00/sample and $55.00/hour X July 1, 2019.
certified tobacco sample from a previously
sampled lot for re-testing at the AMS National
Science Laboratory; fee includes shipping).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Standards Course (training by USDA-certified $1,250.00/person ............... July 1, 2019.
instructor on tobacco grading procedures).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 18236]]
Import Inspection and Certification (grading of $0.0170/kg or $0.0080/pound X July 1, 2019.
imported tobacco for manufacturers and
dealers).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Rulemaking is in progress to change Commitment and Non-commitment to Scheduled and Unscheduled, respectively.
\2\ Rulemaking is in progress to change Resident and Fee Service to Scheduled and Unscheduled, respectively.
\3\ Administrative changes are applied in addition to hourly rates for resident service as specified in Part 56, Subpart A, Sec. 56.52(a)(4); Part 56,
Subpart SA, Sec. 56.54(a)(2); Part 70, Subpart A, Sec. 70.76(a)(2); Part 70, Subpart A, Sec. 70.77(a)(4) and Part 70.
\4\ Travel costs outside the United States will be added to the fee, if applicable.
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 15b; 7 U.S.C. 473a-b; 7 U.S.C. 55 and 61; 7
U.S.C. 51-65; 7 U.S.C. 471-476; 7 U.S.C. 511, 511s; and 7 U.S.C.
1621-1627.
Dated: April 25, 2019.
Bruce Summers,
Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-08701 Filed 4-29-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P
