The Agricultural Marketing Service is asking for comments on whether it should hold a referendum on the continuation of the cotton research and promotion order’s importer requirements, it said (here). The referendum would decide whether to continue amendments to the order adopted in 1990 that established a fee on imported cotton and cotton products and added importer representation to the Cotton Board. Even if it determines a referendum is not warranted, AMS will provide the opportunity to sign up for a referendum and will hold the referendum if requested by 10 percent of those voting in the most recent referendum (though not more than 20 percent from among cotton importers or a single state). Comments are due April 28.
The Agricultural Marketing Service is again extending the comment period, this time until April 24, on proposed changes to export requirements for certain commodities to allow for electronic filing, it said (here). AMS's Dec. 5 proposed rule would require shippers of apple and grape exports to enter an Export Form Certificate number or a USDA-defined exemption code into the Automated Export System (AES) (see 1612050041). The proposal would also define “shipper,” shift the current file retention requirement from carriers to shippers, and require shippers to provide, upon request, copies of the certificates to AMS, the agency said in the proposal.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service is extending the period for comments on proposed changes to nutrition labeling requirements for meat and poultry products, it said (here). The Jan. 19 proposed rule (see 1701190019), which would also apply to catfish, would align FSIS nutrition labels with the new labeling scheme adopted by the Food and Drug Administration in May (see 1605200021). FSIS would revise the information required on nutrition facts labels, adopt FDA's new format with larger type for calorie and serving information, and adopt new reference values for pregnant and lactating women and children under age 4. Single serving size and dual column labeling would be required for certain containers, and recordkeeping required for some nutrients. Comments are now due April 19.
The Agricultural Marketing Service will allow more time for comments on an interim final rule amending its regulations to provide for electronic submission of inspection applications for imports subject to federal marketing orders, it said (here). The interim final rule, which took effect Dec. 22, allowed submission of the information required in AMS form SC-357, “Initial Inspection Request for Regulated Imported Commodities,” via the International Trade Data System (see 1612200032). Comments are now due March 23.
The Agricultural Marketing Service is extending until April 13 the comment period on a proposal to subject muscle cuts of venison and ground venison to country of origin labeling (COOL) requirements, it said (here). The agency’s Jan. 13 proposed rule would add venison and ground venison to the list of products covered by the COOL regulation, which currently includes lamb, chicken and goat, each in both muscle cut and ground forms (see 1701120016).
The Agricultural Marketing Service is allowing more time for comments on a proposal that would end exemptions that allow the use in organic products of 11 non-organic substances, it said (here). Under the Jan. 18 proposed rule, exemptions would end for lignin sulfonate, furosemide, magnesium carbonate, Chia, dillweed oil, frozen galangal, inulin, frozen lemongrass, chipotle chile peppers, Turkish bay leaves and whey protein concentrate (see 1701170020). AMS is considering the changes as part of its 2017 sunset review of the organic National List. Comments are now due April 19.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is delaying the effective date of its recent final rule amending the regulations related to the Select Agents and Toxins List, it said (here). The January final rule added regulatory provisions to address the inactivation of select agents, address biocontainment and biosafety, and clarify regulatory language concerning security, training, incident response and records (see 1701180084). Originally set to take effect Feb. 21, the changes will now be effective March 21. The delay is meant to comply with a presidential memorandum issued when President Donald Trump took office (see 1701230031).
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is allowing more time for comments on its proposed overhaul of its regulations on importation and interstate movements of plant pests, it said (here). The agency’s proposed rule, issued Jan. 19 (see 1701180029), would codify and clarify existing permitting procedures, and create new lists of exempt plant pests and biological control organisms that APHIS determines present no risk to plants and plant products. The proposal would also set new packaging requirements for plant pests, biological control agents and soil, and revise APHIS’s regulations on importation of soil, stone and quarry products. Comments on the proposal are now due April 19.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is extending the period for comments on changes to its regulations on importation, interstate movement and release of genetically engineered (GE) organisms, it said (here). The proposed rule, issued in January (see 1701180058), would modify current definitions of what is a GE organism, as well as the criteria used by APHIS to judge whether it regulates GE organisms based on the risk of introduction of plant pests or noxious weeds. Time-limited import permits would be eliminated, as would current notification procedures. Record-keeping requirements would be increased. Comments on the proposal are now due June 19.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes Feb. 8 to Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) electronic manuals. While some changes are minor, other changes may affect the admissibility of the plant products, including fruits, vegetables and flowers.