[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 100 (Tuesday, May 25, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29306-29307]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-12468]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

[Doc. No. AMS-LS-10-0035]


Notice of Request for Extension of a Currently Approved 
Information Collection

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 
U.S.C. Chapter 35), this notice announces the Agricultural Marketing 
Service's (AMS) intention to request approval from the Office of 
Management and Budget, for an extension of the currently approved 
information collection used to compile and generate cattle, swine, 
lamb, and boxed beef market news reports under the Livestock Mandatory 
Reporting Act of 1999.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by July 26, 2010 to be 
assured of consideration.

[[Page 29307]]

    Additional Information or Comments: Comments may be mailed to Jimmy 
A. Beard; Assistant to the Chief; Livestock and Grain Market News 
Branch, Livestock and Seed Program, Agricultural Marketing Service, 
U.S. Department of Agriculture; STOP 0252; 1400 Independence Avenue, 
SW.; Room 2619-S; Washington, DC 20250-0252; Phone (202) 720-8054; Fax 
(202) 690-3732; or e-mailed to the Federal Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov or e-mailed to [email protected]. State 
that your comments refer to Docket No. AMS-AMS-10-0012.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Lynch, Acting Chief, Livestock 
and Grain Market News Branch, AMS, USDA, by telephone on 202/720-6231, 
or via e-mail at: [email protected], or Jimmy A. Beard, 
Assistant to the Chief, Livestock and Grain Market News Branch, AMS, 
USDA, or by telephone on 202/720-6231, or e-mail at: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act of 1999.
    OMB Number: 0581-0186.
    Expiration Date of Approval: 09-30-2010.
    Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved information 
collection.
    Abstract: The 1999 Act was enacted into law on October 22, 1999 
(Pub. L. 106-78; 7 U.S.C. 1635-1636h), as an amendment to the 
Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1621-1627). The 1999 Act 
as originally passed provided for the mandatory reporting of market 
information by federally inspected livestock processing plants that 
have slaughtered an average number of livestock during the immediately 
preceding 5 calendar years (125,000 for cattle and 100,000 for swine), 
including any processing plant that did not slaughter during the 
immediately preceding 5 calendar years if the Secretary determines that 
the plant should be considered a packer based on the plant's capacity. 
For entities that did not slaughter during the immediately preceding 5 
calendar years, such as a new plant or existing plant that begins 
operations, AMS projects the plant's annual slaughter or production 
based upon the plant's estimate of annual slaughter capacity to 
determine which entities meet the definition of a packer as defined in 
this regulation. The 1999 Act also gave the Secretary the latitude to 
provide for the reporting of lamb information. Federally inspected lamb 
processing plants that slaughtered an average of 75,000 head of lambs 
or processed an average of 75,000 lamb carcasses during the immediately 
preceding 5 calendar years were required to submit information to AMS. 
Additionally, a lamb processing plant that did not slaughter an average 
of 75,000 lambs or process an average of 75,000 lamb carcasses during 
the immediately preceding 5 calendar years was required to report 
information if the Secretary determined the processing plant should be 
considered a packer based on its capacity. In addition, the Act also 
established that for any calendar year, an importer of lamb that 
imported an average of 5,000 metric tons of lamb meat products per year 
during the immediately preceding 5 calendar years, report information 
on the domestic sales of imported boxed lamb cuts. Additionally, an 
importer that did not import an average of 5,000 metric tons of lamb 
meat products during the immediately preceding 5 calendar years was 
required to report information if the Secretary determined that the 
person should be considered an importer based on their volume of lamb 
imports. The regulations implementing the Act appear at 7 CFR, part 59. 
On September 2, 2004, AMS published a final rule (69 FR 53783) that 
revised the threshold for importers to 2,500 metric tons and modified 
the definition of carlot when used in reference to boxed lamb cuts.
    The 1999 Act was reauthorized in October 2006, which re-established 
the regulatory authority and amended the swine reporting requirements 
to include swine packers that slaughtered an average of at least 
200,000 sows, boars, or combination thereof per year during the 
immediately preceding 5 calendar years. On May 16, 2008, AMS published 
a final rule (75 FR 28606) implementing the same.
    The reports that are generated by the 1999 Act are used by other 
Government agencies to evaluate market conditions and calculate price 
levels, such as USDA's Farm Service Agency, that administers the 
Farmer-owned Reserve Program. Economists at most major agricultural 
colleges and universities use the reports to make short and long-term 
market projections. Also, the Government is a large purchaser of 
livestock and related products. A system to monitor the collection and 
reporting of data therefore is needed.
    The information must be collected, compiled, and disseminated by an 
impartial third-party, in a manner which protects the confidentiality 
of the reporting entity. AMS is in the best position to provide this 
service.
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this Collection of 
information is estimated to average .1928 hours per response.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities, individuals or 
households, farms, and the Federal Government.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 389.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 118,768.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 305.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 22,898 hours.
    Comments are invited on: (1) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the Agency, including whether the information will have practical 
utility; (2) the accuracy of the Agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways 
to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who 
are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information technology. Comments may be sent to Jimmy A. Beard, 1400 
Independence Ave., Room 2619-S; Washington, DC 20250-0252. Comments can 
be submitted to: http://www.regulations.gov and viewed there as well. 
All comments received will be available for public inspection during 
regular business hours at the same address or on the Internet at http://www.ams.usda.gov/lsmnpubs.
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for OMB approval. All comments will become a matter of public 
record.

    Dated: May 19, 2010.
David R. Shipman,
Acting Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-12468 Filed 5-24-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P