Area Risk Protection Insurance Regulations; Common Crop Insurance Policy Basic Provisions; Common Crop Insurance Regulations, Sunflower Seed Crop Insurance Provisions; and Common Crop Insurance Regulations, Dry Pea Crop Insurance Provisions, 79779 [C1-2020-26036]
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79779
Rules and Regulations
Federal Register
Vol. 85, No. 239
Friday, December 11, 2020
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER
contains regulatory documents having general
applicability and legal effect, most of which
are keyed to and codified in the Code of
Federal Regulations, which is published under
50 titles pursuant to 44 U.S.C. 1510.
The Code of Federal Regulations is sold by
the Superintendent of Documents.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Federal Crop Insurance Corporation
7 CFR Parts 407 and 457
[Docket ID FCIC–20–0008]
RIN 0563–AC70
Area Risk Protection Insurance
Regulations; Common Crop Insurance
Policy Basic Provisions; Common
Crop Insurance Regulations,
Sunflower Seed Crop Insurance
Provisions; and Common Crop
Insurance Regulations, Dry Pea Crop
Insurance Provisions
Correction
In rule document 2020–26036,
beginning on page 76420 in the issue of
Monday, November 30, 2020, make the
following changes:
§ 457.108
[Corrected]
On page 76427, in § 457.108, in the
third column, in the fourth and fifth
lines from the bottom,
‘‘■ 5. Cancellation and Termination
Dates.’’ should read ‘‘4. Cancellation
and Termination Dates.’’
■
[FR Doc. C1–2020–26036 Filed 12–10–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 1301–00–D
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Marketing Service
9 CFR Part 201
[Doc. No. AMS–FTPP–18–0101]
RIN 0581–AD81
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with RULES
Undue and Unreasonable Preferences
and Advantages Under the Packers
and Stockyards Act
Agricultural Marketing Service,
USDA.
ACTION: Final rule.
AGENCY:
This final rule establishes a
new regulation containing criteria the
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
01:11 Dec 11, 2020
Jkt 253001
Secretary of Agriculture will consider
when determining whether an undue or
unreasonable preference or advantage
has occurred in violation of the Packers
and Stockyards Act, 1921 (Act). A
provision of the Food, Conservation,
and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Bill)
requires the Secretary to establish the
criteria. The Act protects fair trade,
financial integrity, and competitive
marketing for livestock, meat, and
poultry.
DATES: Effective January 11, 2021.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: S.
Brett Offutt, Chief Legal Officer/Policy
Advisor; Packers and Stockyards
Division, USDA, AMS Fair Trade
Practices Program; phone: 202–690–
4355 or email: S.Brett.Offutt@usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Act at
7 U.S.C. 202(b) specifies that it is
unlawful for any packer, swine
contractor, or live poultry dealer to
either make or give any undue or
unreasonable preference or advantage to
any particular person or locality in any
respect. In administering this provision
of the Act, the United States Secretary
of Agriculture (Secretary) determines
whether the conduct of regulated
entities is considered a violation of the
Act.
In the past, each determination was
analyzed using general principles on a
case-by-case basis, exercising the
regulatory flexibility Congress provided
when it passed the Act. Section
11006(1) of the 2008 Farm Bill (Pub. L.
110–234) requires the Secretary to
promulgate regulations establishing
criteria the Secretary will consider in
determining whether an undue or
unreasonable preference or advantage
has occurred in violation of the Act. At
that time, the Secretary delegated
responsibility for establishing the
required criteria to the Grain Inspection,
Packers and Stockyards Administration
(GIPSA). In 2017, GIPSA merged with
the Agricultural Marketing Service
(AMS). AMS now administers the
regulations under the Act and
undertook this rulemaking to meet the
statutory requirement. This rule adds a
new § 201.211 to 9 CFR part 201—
Regulations Under the Packers and
Stockyards Act (P&S regulations). This
rule retains a flexible framework for the
Secretary’s determinations, while
providing criteria to support
transparency in the Secretary’s
determinations. Accordingly, the
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Frm 00001
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
regulated industry and the public now
have a reference to the general
framework that AMS will use to
determine whether there is an unlawful
preference or advantage under section
202(b) of the Act.
Newly added § 201.211 requires the
Secretary to consider four specified
criteria when determining whether any
undue or unreasonable preference or
advantage has been given or made to
any particular person or locality in any
respect in violation of the Act. The
Secretary is not limited to considering
only these four criteria but can also take
other factors into consideration as
appropriate on a case-by-case basis. We
discuss each of the four criteria later in
this document.
AMS published a proposed rule
regarding this matter in the Federal
Register on January 13, 2020 (85 FR
1771). The proposed rule invited public
comments on the addition of the
proposed criteria to the P&S regulations.
AMS allowed a 60-day public comment
period for interested parties to submit
comments. The comment period ended
March 13, 2020. AMS received 2,351
comments on the proposed rule, of
which 235 were unique. The remaining
comments represented 48 groupings of
similar comments, each group having at
least 80 percent matching text.
Commenters represented numerous
segments of the livestock and poultry
industry, from individual poultry
growers and livestock producers to trade
organizations representing producers,
poultry companies, the meat packing
industry, and state and national level
agriculture groups. After considering the
comments received, AMS determined to
adopt the proposed criteria with two
modifications. Analysis of the
comments and AMS’s responses are
included later in this document.
Background
As mentioned above, the 2008 Farm
Bill directs the Secretary to establish
criteria the Secretary will consider in
determining whether an undue or
unreasonable preference or advantage
has occurred in violation of the Act. At
the time the 2008 Farm Bill was
enacted, what is now the Packers and
Stockyards Division (PSD) of AMS’s
Fair Trade Practices Program operated
within GIPSA. GIPSA undertook the
responsibility for developing criteria for
consideration. In June 2010, GIPSA
E:\FR\FM\11DER1.SGM
11DER1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 239 (Friday, December 11, 2020)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 79779]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: C1-2020-26036]
========================================================================
Rules and Regulations
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains regulatory documents
having general applicability and legal effect, most of which are keyed
to and codified in the Code of Federal Regulations, which is published
under 50 titles pursuant to 44 U.S.C. 1510.
The Code of Federal Regulations is sold by the Superintendent of Documents.
========================================================================
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 239 / Friday, December 11, 2020 /
Rules and Regulations
[[Page 79779]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Federal Crop Insurance Corporation
7 CFR Parts 407 and 457
[Docket ID FCIC-20-0008]
RIN 0563-AC70
Area Risk Protection Insurance Regulations; Common Crop Insurance
Policy Basic Provisions; Common Crop Insurance Regulations, Sunflower
Seed Crop Insurance Provisions; and Common Crop Insurance Regulations,
Dry Pea Crop Insurance Provisions
Correction
In rule document 2020-26036, beginning on page 76420 in the issue
of Monday, November 30, 2020, make the following changes:
Sec. 457.108 [Corrected]
0
On page 76427, in Sec. 457.108, in the third column, in the fourth and
fifth lines from the bottom,
``[squarf] 5. Cancellation and Termination Dates.'' should read ``4.
Cancellation and Termination Dates.''
[FR Doc. C1-2020-26036 Filed 12-10-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 1301-00-D