The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued a final rule, effective May 16, 2012, amending the regulations governing the importation of clementines from Spain by removing from the regulations the number of clementines per consignment intended for export to the U.S. that are required to be sampled by APHIS inspectors. In place of this number, the regulations will say that inspectors will cut and inspect a sample of clementines determined by APHIS.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is seeking comments by June 15, 2012, on a proposed rule that would amend the regulations concerning the importation of fruits and vegetables to allow the importation of fresh bananas from the Philippines into the continental U.S.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is requesting comments by about May 14, 2012, on three new information collections that it submitted to the Office of Management and Budget for approval regarding (1) Requirements for Request to Amend 7 CFR Part 319 Import Regulations; (2) Importation of Christmas Cactus and Easter Cactus in Growing Media from the Netherlands and Denmark; and (3) Importation of Peppers from the Republic of Korea.
The Agriculture Department should move quickly to increase the tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) for raw and refine sugar in addition to the reallocation of existing TRQs, the Sweetener Users Association (SUA) said in a letter to the USDA. The letter follows a recent similar request from the SUA to the USDA. New World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates projections highlight the needs for a major TRQ increase. According to the letter, ending stocks are now projected at just 6.8% of total use, well under half of a normal level even under the most conservative assumptions.
The Agricultural Marketing Service issued a final rule amending the Mango Promotion, Research, and Information Order to increase the assessment rate on first handlers and importers of mangos from one half cent per pound to three quarters of a cent per pound. The National Mango Board recommended the action to ensure that its research and promotion programs continue to be adequately funded.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service reports that the Codex Committee on Nutrition & Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNSFDU) released a report on the review of existing daily vitamin and mineral intake reference values, requested by the 33rd CCNFSDU session (Germany, November 2011), available here. FSIS also reports that the detailed monographs on the food additives and contaminants evaluated at the 74th meeting of the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECSA) are now available here.
The Grain Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) is requesting comments by June 11, 2012, on its proposed rule that would revise the U.S. Standards for Wheat under the U.S. Grain Standards Act (USGSA) to (i) change the definition of Contrasting classes (CCL) in Hard White wheat and (ii) change the grade limits for shrunken and broken kernels (SHBN).