[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 245 (Tuesday, December 22, 2015)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 79490-79491]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-32181]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration

7 CFR Part 868


United States Standards for Rough Rice, Brown Rice for 
Processing, and Milled Rice

AGENCY: Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration, USDA.

ACTION: Request for information.

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SUMMARY: The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Grain 
Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) is seeking 
comment from the public regarding the United States (U.S.) Standards 
for Rough Rice, Brown Rice for Processing, and Milled Rice under the 
Agriculture Marketing Act of 1946 (AMA). To ensure that standards and 
official grading practices remain relevant, GIPSA invites interested 
parties to comment on whether the current rice standards and grading 
practices need to be changed.

DATES: We will consider comments we receive by March 21, 2016.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written or electronic comments on this 
proposed rule to:
     Mail: Irene Omade, GIPSA, USDA, STOP 3642, 1400 
Independence Avenue SW., Room 2530-B, Washington, DC 20250-3604.
     Fax: (202) 690-2173
     Internet: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow the 
on-line instructions for submitting comments.
    All comments will become a matter of public record and should be 
identified as ``U.S. Standards for Rough Rice, Brown Rice for 
Processing, and Milled Rice request for information comments,'' making 
reference to the date and page number of this issue of the Federal 
Register. All comments received become the property of the Federal 
government, are a part of the public record, and will generally be 
posted to www.regulations.gov without change. If you send an email 
comment directly to GIPSA without going through www.regulations.gov, or 
you submit a comment to GIPSA via fax, the originating email address or 
telephone number will be automatically captured and included as part of 
the comment that is placed in the public docket and made available on 
the Internet. Also, all personal identifying information (for example, 
name, address, etc.) voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be 
publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential business information or 
otherwise sensitive or protected information.
    Electronic submissions should avoid the use of special characters, 
avoid any form of encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses, 
since these may prevent GIPSA from being able to read and understand, 
and thus consider your comment.
    GIPSA will post a transcript or report summarizing each substantive 
oral comment that we receive. This would include comments made at any 
public meetings hosted by GIPSA during the comment period, unless GIPSA 
publically announces otherwise.
    All comments will also be available for public inspection at the 
above address during regular business hours (7 CFR 1.27(b)). Please 
call the GIPSA Management and Budget Services support staff (202) 720-
8479 for an appointment to view the comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Beverly A. Whalen at GIPSA, USDA, 
10383 N. Ambassador Drive, Kansas City, MO, 64153; Telephone: (816) 
659-8410; Fax Number: (816) 872-1258; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the authority of the AMA (7 U.S.C. 
1621-1627), as amended, GIPSA establishes and maintains a variety of 
quality and grade standards for agricultural commodities that serve as 
a fundamental starting point to define commodity quality in the 
domestic and global marketplace. Standards developed by GIPSA under the 
AMA include rice, whole dry peas, split peas, feed peas, lentils, and 
beans. The AMA standards are voluntary and widely used in private 
contracts, government procurement, marketing communication, and, for 
some commodities, consumer information. The U. S. Standards for Rough 
Rice, Brown Rice for Processing, and Milled Rice standards were last 
revised in 2002 and appear in the AMA regulations at 7 CFR 868.202 
through 868.316. The standards facilitate the marketing of rice in 
foreign and domestic trade, and provide a uniform measure of quality by 
providing a common language to describe commodity attributes for U.S. 
producers, exporters and their customers. Official procedures for 
inspections are provided in GIPSA's

[[Page 79491]]

Rice Inspection Handbook for determining the various grading factors.
    GIPSA inspects shipments of rice in accordance with AMA standards 
to establish the grade of the rice and issues inspection certificates 
for each shipment. GIPSA-issued certificates describing the quality and 
condition of graded rice are accepted as prima facie evidence in all 
Federal courts. U. S. rice standards and the affiliated grading and 
testing services offered by GIPSA verify that a seller's rice meets 
specified requirements, and ensure that customers receive the quality 
of rice they purchased. In addition to Federal usage, the rice 
standards are applied by one State and one private cooperator.
    In order for U. S. standards and grading procedures for Rough Rice, 
Brown Rice for Processing, and Milled Rice to remain relevant, GIPSA is 
issuing this request for information to invite interested parties to 
submit comments, ideas, and suggestions on all aspects of the U. S. 
Standards for Rice and inspection procedures.

     Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1621-1627

Larry Mitchell,
Administrator, Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration.
[FR Doc. 2015-32181 Filed 12-21-15; 8:45 am]
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