[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 126 (Friday, June 29, 2018)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 30590-30591]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-14016]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

7 CFR Part 810

[Doc. No. AMS-FGIS-18-0053]


United States Standards for Canola

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Request for information.

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SUMMARY: The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) 
Agricultural

[[Page 30591]]

Marketing Service (AMS) is seeking comments from the public regarding 
the United States (U.S.) Standards for Canola under the United States 
Grain Standards Act (USGSA). To ensure that standards and official 
grading practices remain relevant, AMS invites interested parties to 
comment on whether the current canola standards and grading practices 
need to be changed.

DATES: We will consider comments we receive by August 28, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments or notice of intent to submit comments by 
any of the following methods:
     Postal Mail: Please send your comment addressed to Kendra 
Kline, AMS, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room 2043-S, Washington, 
DC 20250-3614.
     Hand Delivery or Courier: Kendra Kline, AMS, USDA, 1400 
Independence Avenue SW, Room 2043-S, Washington, DC 20250-3614.
     Internet: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-
line instructions for submitting comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patrick McCluskey, USDA AMS; 
Telephone: (816) 659-8403; Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 4 of the USGSA (7 U.S.C. 76(a)) 
grants the Secretary of Agriculture the authority to establish 
standards for canola and other grains regarding kind, class, quality, 
and condition. The canola standards were established by USDA on 
February 28, 1992 (57 FR 3271) and appear in the USGSA regulations at 7 
CFR 810.301-810.306. The standards facilitate canola marketing and 
define U.S. canola 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 Grain Inspection Handbook, 
Book II, Chapter 3, ``Canola''. The Handbook also includes standardized 
procedures for additional quality attributes not used to determine 
grade, such as dockage and moisture content. Together, the grading 
standards and official procedures allow buyers and sellers to 
communicate quality requirements, compare canola quality using 
equivalent forms of measurement, and assist in price discovery.
    The realignment of offices within the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture authorized by the Secretary's Memorandum dated November 14, 
2017, ``Improving Customer Service and Efficiency'', eliminates the 
Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) as a 
standalone agency. Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) activities, 
formerly part of GIPSA, are now organized under AMS. FGIS 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 canola. 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, FGIS-issued certificates 
describing the quality and condition of graded canola are accepted as 
prima facie evidence in all Federal courts. U.S. Standards for Canola 
and the affiliated grading and testing services offered by FGIS verify 
that a seller's canola meet specified requirements, and ensure that 
customers receive the quality of canola they purchased.
    In order for U.S. standards and grading procedures for canola to 
remain relevant, AMS 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 Canola and official procedures.

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

    Dated: June 26, 2018.
Greg Ibach,
Under Secretary, Marketing and Regulatory Programs.
[FR Doc. 2018-14016 Filed 6-28-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-02-P