Foreign Agricultural Service 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces that the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) intends to request a revision to a currently approved information collection procedure for the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Farmers program as described in 7 CFR part 1580.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 reauthorizes and modifies the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Farmers program as established by Subtitle C of Title I of the Trade Act of 2002, which amended the Trade Act of 1974. Under this program, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides technical assistance and cash benefits to eligible producers of raw agricultural commodities and fishermen (jointly referred to as ``producers'') when the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Administrator determines that increased imports of raw agricultural commodities, aquaculture products, or wild- caught aquatic species (jointly referred to as ``agricultural commodities'') have contributed importantly to a greater than 15 percent decrease in the national average price, or quantity of production, or value of production, or cash receipts for the agricultural commodity specified in the certified petition compared to the average of the three preceding marketing years. The rule establishes the procedure by which a group can submit a petition for certification of eligibility and individual producers of agricultural commodities can apply for technical assistance and cash benefits for the development and implementation of approved business adjustment plans.

This notice lists the updated quantity trigger levels for products which may be subject to additional import duties under the safeguard provisions of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture. This notice also includes the relevant period applicable for the trigger levels on each of the listed products.

This final rule amends the regulations to administer the Food for Progress (FFPr) Program and the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program (McGovern-Dole Program) by making revisions to provide greater clarity with respect to all aspects of the program, with specific emphasis on the eligibility requirements that a participant must meet and the actions that must be undertaken by a participant in order to receive assistance under these programs, including the reports that are filed by program participants with the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). This final rule also amends the Agriculture Acquisition Regulation (AGAR), to specify the criteria that is used in determining whether a commodity that is procured under these programs and under domestic feeding programs administered by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is considered to be a product of the United States. The purpose of these amendments is to improve the efficiency of the programs and make it clearer to participants what they must do to meet eligibility requirements.

Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) requests nominations of individuals to serve as a non-government member of the Consultative Group to Eliminate the Use of Child Labor and Forced Labor in Imported Agricultural Products (Consultative Group). On June 18, 2008, the President signed into law the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (the Act), also known as the 2008 Farm Bill. The Act provides for the creation of the Consultative Group.