Agricultural Marketing Service June 15, 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is amending the Cotton Board Rules and Regulations to remove the cotton import de minimis provision. The Cotton Research and Promotion (R&P) Program assesses U.S. cotton producers and importers of cotton and cotton- containing products. Importers are exempt from paying the cotton import assessment (known commonly among importers as the ``cotton fee'') if a line item on U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) documentation is $2.00 or less. The exemption was initially established to lessen the administrative burden of collecting an import assessment, which was originally estimated to be $2.00 per line item, in instances in which the transactions costs of the collection would exceed the actual value of the assessment; however, technological advances in the CBP documentation process significantly reduced the transactions costs associated with collecting import assessments, and CBP has since stopped charging USDA for the processing and collecting of assessments. Given that transactions costs no longer exceed assessment rates of $2.00 or less, AMS is removing this de minimis provision from the regulations. In addition, the definition of cotton with respect to procedures for conducting the sign-up period is being modified.

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is announcing a meeting of the Plant Variety Protection Board (Board). The meeting is being held to discuss a variety of topics including, but not limited to, work and outreach plans, subcommittee activities, and proposals for procedure changes. The meeting is open to the public. This notice sets forth the schedule and location for the meeting.

This rule implements a recommendation from the Texas Valley Citrus Committee (Committee) to relax the container and pack requirements currently prescribed under the Texas Citrus Marketing Order (order). The order regulates the handling of oranges and grapefruit grown in the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas. The Committee locally administers the order and is comprised of producers and handlers operating within the production area. This rule adds the word ``approximate'' to the size specifications of three regulated containers to make the language consistent with other containers specified under the order. This change provides uniformity in the descriptions of containers and helps prevent potential compliance violations stemming from slight variations in container dimensions.

This rule implements a recommendation from the Avocado Administrative Committee (Committee) for an increase of the assessment rate established for the 2016-17 and subsequent fiscal periods from $0.30 to $0.35 per 55-pound bushel container of Florida avocados handled under the marketing order (order). The Committee locally administers the order and is comprised of growers and handlers of avocados operating within the area of production. Assessments upon Florida avocado handlers are used by the Committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The fiscal period began on April 1 and ends March 31. The assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.