Agricultural Marketing Service August 2020 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This proposed rule would implement a recommendation from the California Walnut Board (Board) to change the reporting requirements prescribed under the Federal marketing order regulating the handling of walnuts grown in California. This action would require California walnut handlers to report purchase commitments (walnuts sold but not yet shipped) with domestic and foreign buyers on a monthly basis. This action should provide more accurate information about supply and demand to industry, which would also enhance marketing efforts.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is announcing the designation of Mid-Iowa Grain Inspection, Inc. (Mid-Iowa), to provide official services under the United States Grain Standards Act (USGSA), as amended.

This recommended decision proposes amendments to Marketing Order No. 984 (Order), which regulates the handling of walnuts grown in California. The proposed amendments are based on the record of a public hearing held via videoconference technology on April 20 and 21, 2020. The California Walnut Board (Board), which locally administers the Order, recommended proposed amendments that would add authority for the Board to provide credit for certain market promotion expenses paid by handlers against their annual assessments due under the Order and establish requirements to effectuate the new authority. In addition, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) proposed to make any such changes as may be necessary to conform to any amendment that may result from the public hearing.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) proposes amending the USDA organic regulations to strengthen oversight and enforcement of the production, handling, and sale of organic agricultural products. The proposed amendments are intended to protect integrity in the organic supply chain and build consumer and industry trust in the USDA organic label by strengthening organic control systems, improving farm to market traceability, and providing robust enforcement of the USDA organic regulations. Topics addressed in this proposed rule include: Applicability of the regulations and exemptions from organic certification; National Organic Program Import Certificates; recordkeeping and product traceability; certifying agent personnel qualifications and training; standardized certificates of organic operation; unannounced on-site inspections of certified operations; oversight of certification activities; foreign conformity assessment systems; certification of grower group operations; labeling of nonretail containers; annual update requirements for certified operations; compliance and appeals processes; and calculating organic content of multi-ingredient products.