A comprehensive summary of today’s judicial, legislative, and regulatory developments in agriculture and food. Email important additions HERE.
REGULATORY: Includes APHIS, AMS, FDA, FAS and NOAA
ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE
Final rule amending the regulations governing the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP). These amendments establish a U.S. Newcastle Disease Clean program within the NPIP, create an NPIP subpart specific to game birds, revise testing requirements, and clarify existing provisions of the regulations. Info here.
AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE
Proposed rule amending the Lamb Promotion, Research, and Information 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. Info here.
Proposed rule implementing a recommendation from the Administrative Committee for Pistachios (Committee) to increase the assessment rate established for the 2020-21 and subsequent production years. Info here.
Direct final rule the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is amending the Cotton Board Rules and Regulations, decreasing the value assigned to imported cotton for the purposes of calculating supplemental assessments collected for use by the Cotton Research and Promotion Program. Info here.
FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION
Notification The Food and Drug Administration (FDA, the Agency, or we) is announcing three virtual public meetings entitled ‘‘Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods; Proposed Rule.’’ The purpose of the public meetings is to discuss the proposed rule entitled ‘‘Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods,’’ which was issued under the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Info here.
FOREIGN AGRICULTURAL SERVICE
Notice announces a fee of $290 to be charged for the 2021 tariff rate quota (TRQ) year for each license issued to a person or firm by the Department of Agriculture authorizing the importation of certain dairy articles, which are subject to tariff-rate quotas set forth in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) of the United States. Info here.
NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION
Temporary rule NMFS is prohibiting retention of Pacific cod by catcher/processors using trawl gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). Info here.
Notification NMFS announces that the states of Maine and New Jersey are transferring a portion of their 2020 commercial bluefish quota to the states of Rhode Island and North Carolina, respectively. Info here.