7 CFR Part 54 - MEATS, PREPARED MEATS, AND MEAT PRODUCTS (GRADING, CERTIFICATION, AND STANDARDS)

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is amending its regulations to provide for a set of standardized formulas by which fees are calculated. The fees are calculated using formulas to account for all costs incurred by AMS in providing these services. Each year, fees will be announced in a notice in the Federal Register by June 1 and take effect at the start of the fiscal year, crop year, or as required by specific laws. This action provides greater transparency to the customers we serve as to how the fees are derived. The standardized formulas will be used to calculate fees that AMS charges for providing voluntary grading, inspection, certification, auditing and laboratory services for a variety of agricultural commodities including meat and poultry, fruits and vegetables, eggs, dairy products, and cotton and tobacco. The fees will also apply to those persons requesting such services including producers, handlers, processors, importers and exporters. Fees charged for inspection of fruits, vegetables, and specialty crops subject to the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937 are also affected by this rule. Provisions of this rule do not supersede rates established by Memoranda of Understanding, Marketing Orders, or by cooperative agreements already in place. Furthermore, the cotton program will continue to consult with its industry before rates are established.