[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 13 (Thursday, January 21, 2016)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 3341]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-01045]


 ========================================================================
 Proposed Rules
                                                 Federal Register
 ________________________________________________________________________
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of 
 the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these 
 notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in 
 the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
 
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 

  Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 13 / Thursday, January 21, 2016 / 
Proposed Rules  

[[Page 3341]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration

7 CFR Part 810


United States Standards for Flaxseed

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 
comments from the public regarding the United States (U.S.) Standards 
for Flaxseed under the United States Grain Standards Act (USGSA). To 
ensure that standards and official grading practices remain relevant, 
GIPSA invites interested parties to comment on whether the current 
flaxseed 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 
request for information 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 instruction for submitting comments.
    All comments will become a matter of public record and should be 
identified as ``U.S. Flaxseed Standards 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: Robert Dorman at GIPSA, USDA, 10383 N. 
Ambassador Drive, Kansas City, MO 64153; Telephone (816) 659-8411; Fax 
Number (816) 872-1258; email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the authority of the USGSA (7 U.S.C. 
76), GIPSA establishes standards for flaxseed and other grains 
regarding kind, class, quality and condition. The flaxseed standards, 
established by USDA on August 1, 1934, were last revised in 1987 and 
appear in the USGSA regulations at 7 CFR 810.601 through 810.604. The 
standards facilitate flaxseed marketing and define U.S. flaxseed 
quality in the domestic and global marketplace. The standards define 
commonly used industry terms; contain basic principles governing the 
application of standards, such as the type of sample used for a 
particular quality analysis; the basis of determination; and specify 
grades and grade requirements. Official procedures for determining 
grading factors are provided in GIPSA's Grain Inspection Handbook, Book 
II, Chapter 5, ``Flaxseed'' which also includes standardized procedures 
for additional quality attributes not used to determine grade, such as 
dockage and moisture content. Together, the grading standards and 
testing procedures allow buyers and sellers to communicate quality 
requirements, compare flaxseed quality using equivalent forms of 
measurement and assist in price discovery.
    GIPSA's grading and inspection services are provided through a 
network of federal, state, and private laboratories that conduct tests 
to determine the quality and condition of flaxseed. These tests are 
conducted in accordance with applicable standards using approved 
methodologies and can be applied at any point in the marketing chain. 
Furthermore, the tests yield rapid, reliable and consistent results. In 
addition, GIPSA-issued certificates describing the quality and 
condition of graded flaxseed are accepted as prima facie evidence in 
all Federal courts. U.S. flaxseed standards and the affiliated grading 
and testing services offered by GIPSA verify that a seller's flaxseed 
meets specified requirements, and ensure that customers receive the 
quality of flaxseed they purchased.
    In order for U.S. standards and grading procedures for flaxseed 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. flaxseed standards and inspection procedures.

    Authority:  7 U.S.C. 71-87K.

Larry Mitchell,
Administrator, Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration.
[FR Doc. 2016-01045 Filed 1-20-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-KD-P