Agricultural Marketing Service 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This rule implements a recommendation from the Kiwifruit Administrative Committee (Committee) for an increase of the assessment rate established for the 2015-16 and subsequent fiscal periods from $0.025 to $0.040 per 9-kilo volume-fill container or equivalent of kiwifruit handled under the marketing order (order). The Committee locally administers the order, and is comprised of growers of kiwifruit operating within the area of production. Assessments upon kiwifruit handlers are used by the Committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The fiscal period begins on August 1 and ends July 31. The assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), this notice announces the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) intention to request approval from the Office of Management and Budget, for revision of two currently approved collections by merging them into a single information collection, titled ``Local Food Directories and Survey''. AMS intends to combine collection 0581-0169, National Farmers Market Directory and Survey with Modules, and collection 0581-0289, Local Food Directories and Survey, and title it ``Local Food Directories and Survey''. Merging the collections will allow for reduced input time for operators of multiple local food enterprises. All directories are national in scope and provide free advertising for producers of local agricultural products. The directories also assist customers to locate local food enterprises.

This proposed rule would implement a recommendation from the Peanut Standards Board (Board) to revise the minimum quality and handling standards for domestic and imported peanuts marketed in the United States (Standards). The Board advises the Secretary of Agriculture regarding potential changes to the Standards and is comprised of producers and industry representatives. This proposed rule would revise the minimum quality, positive lot identification, and reporting and recordkeeping requirements under the Standards. It would also make numerous other changes to better reflect current industry practices and to revise outdated language. The Board believes these changes would make additional peanuts available for sale, help increase efficiencies, and reduce costs to the industry.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is revising the regulations governing the inspection of eggs to streamline the importation process for table eggs, hatching eggs, and inedible liquid egg by allowing the import request to be filed electronically through the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) International Trade Data System.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) proposes to revise the United States Standards for Grades of Shelled Pecans and the United States Standards for Grades of Pecans in the Shell. AMS is proposing to replace the term ``midget'' with ``extra small'' in the Shelled Pecan standards. AMS is also proposing to remove from both standards references to plastic models of pecan kernels, and information on where the color standards may be examined. These changes would modernize the terminology and information in the standards.