Department of Agriculture 2019 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Codex Office is sponsoring a public meeting on April 9, 2019. The objective of the public meeting is to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft United States (U.S.) positions to be discussed at the 45th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, in Ottawa, Canada, May 13-17, 2019. The U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius and the Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs recognize the importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on the 45th Session of the CCFL and to address items on the agenda.

This action informs the public that the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) is withdrawing a final rule with request for comments published in the Federal Register on December 10, 2018, titled Common Crop Insurance Regulations; Forage Seeding Crop Insurance Provisions. FCIC updated the Forage Seeding Crop Provisions (CP) to better reflect current agricultural practices and allow for variations in insurance provisions based on regionally-specific agronomic conditions and potential future expansions. The Forage Seeding CP cover losses from insured perils during the year of planting forage and would provide continuous coverage throughout the year of planting effective for the 2020 crop year. FCIC withdraws the Forage Seeding final rule due to the need to address outstanding issues, conduct additional research, and obtain data for program expansion to ensure continuous coverage between the year of planting and after the crop has been established.

We are advising the public that we have added China to the list of regions that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service considers to be affected with African swine fever (ASF). We are taking this action because of the confirmation of ASF in China.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended), the Rural Utilities Service, an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA), invites comments on this information collection for which the Agency intends to request approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

We are amending the scrapie regulations by changing the risk groups and categories established for individual animals and for flocks, increasing the use of genetic testing as a means of assigning risk levels to animals, reducing movement restrictions for animals found to be genetically less susceptible or resistant to scrapie, and simplifying, reducing, or removing certain recordkeeping requirements. We are also providing designated scrapie epidemiologists with more alternatives and flexibility when testing animals in order to determine flock designations under the regulations. We are changing the definition of high-risk animal, which will change the types of animals eligible for indemnity, and to pay higher indemnity for certain pregnant ewes and does and early maturing ewes and does. The changes will also make the identification and recordkeeping requirements for goat owners consistent with those for sheep owners. These changes affect sheep and goat producers, persons who handle sheep and goats in interstate commerce, and State governments.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations which implement the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the National Institute of Food and Agriculture's (NIFA) intention to request approval to extend the currently approved information collection in support of authorizations to use the 4-H Club Name and/or Emblem.

This notice updates the newspaper that will be used by the Black Range Ranger District, Gila National Forest, of the Southwestern Region to publish legal notices. The intended effect of this action is to inform interested members of the public the newspaper the Forest Service will use to publish notices of proposed actions, notices of decision, and notices of opportunity to file an objection or appeal. This will provide the public with constructive notice of Forest Service proposals and decisions, provide information on the procedures to comment, appeal, or object, and establish the date that the Forest Service will use to determine if comments, appeals, or objections were timely.

As required by the Privacy Act of 1974, and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular No. A-108, this notice proposes that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA or Department) revisions to the Privacy Act System of Records titled Applicant/ Borrower USDA/FSA-14, which include information on current, former, and prospective applicants and borrowers including members of entities. The system contains information on agricultural producers in the United States requesting or obtaining the Farm Service Agency (FSA) Farm Loan Programs benefits. In general, USDA proposes to revise the system of records to make minor corrections and updates to meet additional requirements. USDA is also revising the system of records to add 10 new routine uses.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Rural Housing Service's (RHS) intention to request an extension for the currently approved information collection in support of our program for Complaints and Compensation for Construction Defects.

We are proposing to amend the licensing requirements under the Animal Welfare Act regulations to promote compliance, reduce licensing fees, and strengthen existing safeguards that prevent individuals and businesses who have a history of noncompliance from obtaining a license or working with regulated animals. This action will reduce regulatory burden with respect to licensing and will more efficiently ensure licensees' sustained compliance with the Act. We are further proposing to strengthen the veterinary care and watering standards for regulated dogs to better align the regulations with the humane care and treatment standards set by the Animal Welfare Act. Additionally, we are proposing to make several miscellaneous changes for clarity and to correct typographical errors.

The NRCS Montana State Office gives notice that an EIS is being prepared for the Willow Creek Watershed Project in the proximity of Browning, Montana on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. This notice announces our intent to prepare an EIS, provide information on the nature of the proposed action and possible alternatives, invite public participation in the EIS process, and identify cooperating agency contacts. The EIS process will evaluate alternatives recommended for detailed study because of previous planning-level studies completed by NRCS and additional (new) alternatives identified during scoping.

This notice announces the surplus and purchased foods that the Department expects to make available for donation to States for use in providing nutrition assistance to the needy under The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) in Fiscal Year (FY) 2019. The foods made available under this notice must, at the discretion of the State, be distributed to eligible recipient agencies (ERAs) for use in preparing meals and/or for distribution to households for home consumption.

This notice informs the public of the annual adjustments to the reimbursement rates for meals served in the Summer Food Service Program for Children. These adjustments address changes in the Consumer Price Index, as required under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act. The 2019 reimbursement rates are presented as a combined set of rates to highlight simplified cost accounting procedures. The 2019 rates are also presented individually, as separate operating and administrative rates of reimbursement, to show the effect of the Consumer Price Index adjustment on each rate.

U.S. Department of Agriculture published a final rule on December 26, 2018, to implement a recommendation from the Kiwifruit Administrative Committee (Committee) to decrease the assessment rate established for the 2018-2019 and subsequent fiscal periods. This correction addresses a typographical error in that final rule.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on this proposed information collection. This is a new information collection. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the largest domestic nutrition assistance program in the United States, having served approximately 20.1 million low-income households in 2018, with $60.1 billion in benefits provided during that time. Section 11(e)(8) of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 requires that these millions of households must submit personally identifiable information (PII) in order to receive SNAP benefits. PII includes information that directly identifies individuals, such as individuals' names and Social Security numbers, as well as information like home addresses, which can be used to deduce the identity of an individual. While State agencies (SAs) implement policies to safeguard SNAP PII, little is systematically known about the policies and practices that SAs have in place. Accordingly, FNS wants to assess the ways that States safeguard SNAP PII and identify best practices to protect such information.

The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) was established to assist in the development of standards for substances to be used in organic production and to advise the Secretary on the implementation of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (OFPA). Through this Notice, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing its call for nominations to fill five vacancies. Descriptions of the five positions are listed below under supplementary information. Appointees will serve a five-year term beginning January 24, 2020 and ending January 23, 2025. Additionally, the USDA seeks nominations for a pool of candidates that the Secretary of Agriculture can draw upon as replacement appointees if unexpected vacancies occur.

We are advising the public that we are proposing to recognize Singapore as being free of foot-and-mouth disease. This proposed recognition is based on an evaluation we have prepared in connection with this action, which we are making available for review and comment.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing its intention to renew the approved information collection regarding the importation and transportation of meat, poultry, and egg products. The approval for this information collection will expire on June 30, 2019. FSIS is making no changes to the approved collection.

FSIS is amending the Federal meat inspection regulations to eliminate the requirement that livestock carcasses be marked with the official inspection legend at the time of inspection in a slaughter establishment, if the carcasses are to be further processed in the same establishment.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announces that soybean producers may request a referendum to determine if producers want the Secretary to conduct a referendum on the Soybean Promotion and Research Order (Order), as authorized under the Soybean Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Act (Act). Participation in the Request for Referendum is voluntary. Producers should participate only if they wish to request a referendum on the program. If at least 10 percent (not in excess of one-fifth of which may be producers in any one State) of the 515,008 eligible producers, as determined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), participate in the Request for Referendum, a referendum will be held within 1 year from that determination. If results of the Request for Referendum indicate that a referendum is not supported, a referendum would not be conducted. The results of the Request for Referendum will be published in a Notice in the Federal Register.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) intention to request an extension for and revision to a currently approved information collection for Pecans Grown in the States of Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas, Marketing Order No. 986.