Agricultural Marketing Service December 2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is announcing a meeting of the Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee (FVIAC). The meeting is being convened to examine industry recommendations provided by the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) and the United Fresh Produce Association (United Fresh). During the two-day FVIAC public meeting held November 3-4, 2021, the industry trade groups jointly submitted recommendations for discussion and consideration by FVIAC representatives. This virtual meeting will provide FVIAC representatives the opportunity to engage with United Fresh-PMA stakeholders.

This rulemaking revises the Lamb Promotion, Research, and Information Order (Order), requiring market agencies (e.g., commission merchant, auction market, livestock market) in the business of receiving lambs to collect and remit on behalf of the producer, feeder, or seedstock producer, the ``live-weight'' assessment on ovine animals sold and the ``price-per-head'' assessment owed by the first handler when lambs are sold through these channels. Market agencies are required to remit the full assessment to the American Lamb Board (also known as the Lamb, Promotion, Research, and Information Board (Board)) when ovine animals are sold. This rulemaking includes technical amendments to the Order, correcting references to assessment rates that were inadvertently not updated during the previous amendment to the Order.

This rule implements a recommendation from the Cherry Industry Administrative Board to revise the reporting requirements prescribed under the Federal marketing order regulating the handling of tart cherries. This action modifies reporting requirements to include the information necessary to determine the portion of total inventory that is greater than five years old.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) intention to request approval, from the Office of Management and Budget, for an extension of and revision to the currently approved information collection for Export Health Certificate Request Forms.

This proposed rule would implement a recommendation from the Administrative Committee for Pistachios (Committee) to increase the assessment rate established for 2021-22 and subsequent production years. The proposed assessment rate would remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

In the June 28, 2021, Federal Register, AMS asked persons interested in providing official U.S. Grain Standards Act services in the West Lafayette, Indiana designation area to submit an application. There are two applicants for the West Lafayette, Indiana area: Champaign-Danville Grain Inspection Departments, Inc. (Champaign) and North Dakota Grain Inspection Service, Inc. (North Dakota). Both applicants are currently designated official agencies and applied for designation to provide official services for the entire area formerly assigned to Titus Grain Inspection, Inc. Each applicant is also currently serving in an interim designation capacity. The geographic area is described in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION below. We are asking for comments on these applicants.