[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 160 (Friday, August 17, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41042-41043]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-17725]


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 Notices
                                                 Federal Register
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
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 delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency 
 statements of organization and functions are examples of documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 160 / Friday, August 17, 2018 / 
Notices  

[[Page 41042]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

[Docket No. AMS-LPS-17-0046]


United States Standards for Grades of Pork Carcasses

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This Notice informs the public that the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will not 
proceed with revisions to the United States Standards for Grades of 
Pork Carcasses (pork standards) at this time.

DATES: August 17, 2018.

ADDRESSES: USDA, AMS, Livestock and Poultry Program (LP), Quality 
Assessment Division (QAD); 1400 Independence Ave. SW; Room 3932-S, STOP 
0258; Washington, DC 20250-0258.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Bowden, Chief, Standardization 
Branch; USDA, AMS, LP, QAD; 1400 Independence Avenue SW; Room 3932-S, 
STOP 0258; Washington, DC 20250-0258; phone (202) 690-3148; or via 
email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Official USDA grade standards and associated 
voluntary, fee-for-service grading programs are authorized under the 
Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1621 et seq.) 
(the Act). Specifically, section 203(c) of the Act directs and 
authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture ``to develop and improve 
standards of quality, condition, quantity, grade, and packaging and 
recommend and demonstrate such standards in order to encourage 
uniformity and consistency in commercial practices'' (7 U.S.C. 
1622(c)). AMS is committed to carrying out this authority in a manner 
that facilitates the marketing of agricultural products. Accordingly, 
the primary purpose of USDA grade standards is to divide the population 
of a commodity into uniform groups (of similar quality, yield, value, 
etc.) to facilitate marketing. Currently, AMS maintains standards for a 
wide variety of commodities and in many cases, applies those standards 
to commodities on a fee-for-service basis.
    AMS recognizes that the pork standards must be relevant to be of 
value to stakeholders and, therefore, recommendations for changes in 
the standards may be initiated by AMS or by interested parties at any 
time to achieve that goal. AMS originally posted this Notice seeking 
comment on the revised pork standards on October 23, 2017, with a 
closing date of December 22, 2017. Subsequently, AMS reopened the 
Notice for an additional 60-day comment period, ending March 19, 2018.

Comments

    In all, 47 comments were received: There were 19 comments in favor 
of updating the pork standards, while 24 were opposed; 2 only requested 
extending the comment period; and 2 commenters did not clearly state a 
position. Responses received were representative of the pork industry 
and stakeholders, with the most comments coming from pork industry 
associations, packers, and producers.
    The 19 commenters in support of revised pork standards said that 
changes were needed in the pork industry to revitalize domestic 
consumer demand and that the updated standards may be helpful in 
addressing the decline in purchases of fresh pork products, citing data 
that the average American consumer buys fresh pork only seven times a 
year. Some commenters expressed that a revised standard could lead to a 
USDA fee-for-service grading program, which would enhance uniformity of 
pork quality and build consumer confidence in pork purchasing 
decisions. Commenters also said that the revisions were scientifically 
sound and applicable to pork quality attributes that are consumer-
recognized and tied to an improved eating experience. While some 
recognized the challenge of implementing the proposed standards 
revisions via a grading program in the modern processing environment, 
they expressed support for a standardized, objective carcass grading 
system focused more on quality than percent lean.
    Most of the 24 comments against the proposed revisions were similar 
in nature and asserted the new grades would not add value for pork 
producers. Some commenters noted that the pork industry and individual 
companies have worked for many years to improve product quality 
attributes and promote their efforts through product branding and 
``niche'' marketing, and the revised pork standards would endanger 
these efforts. Further, some commenters noted that proposed 
nomenclature of Prime, Choice, and Select, if implemented for pork, 
could result in devaluation of the established beef grading system. 
Pork packers and processors expressed concern that implementation of 
the revised pork standards would be impractical, in part because the 
technology available to accurately assess quality factors for pork is 
not yet effective while maintaining today's processing line speeds. 
Commenters opposed to the revisions also expressed concern that 
implementation at this time would cause disruption to existing 
producer-packer relationships and established logistics. Others were 
concerned that application of the standard specifically to the loin 
primal without positive correlation with the remaining carcass parts 
would be misleading, and that any premium generated by applying the 
standards would not offset the cost of implementing a USDA fee-for-
service grading program in the plant.
    A few commenters provided responses that were both for and against 
the revisions, outlining opportunities and challenges similar to those 
discussed above. All comments are available at the following website: 
https://www.regulations.gov/docketBrowser?rpp=25&so=DESC&sb=commentDueDate&po=0&dct=PS&D=AMS-LPS-17-0046.
    Based on the responses received from the Notices, AMS will not 
pursue any revisions to the pork standards at this time. AMS stands 
ready to assist agricultural industries in establishing voluntary 
standards and grading programs for commodities for which it has 
authority to do so; the pork industry retains this option should the 
need arise.


[[Page 41043]]


    Dated: August 13, 2018.
Bruce Summers,
Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-17725 Filed 8-16-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-02-P