[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 249 (Thursday, December 29, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Page 80111]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-28392]


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 Notices
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  Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 249 / Thursday, December 29, 2022 / 
Notices  

[[Page 80111]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

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


United States Standards for Canola

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This action is being taken under the authority of the United 
States Grain Standards Act, as amended, (USGSA). The United States 
Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) 
is making no changes regarding the United States (U.S.) Standards for 
Canola under the USGSA.

DATES: Applicability date: December 29, 2022.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gregory Giese, USDA AMS; Telephone: 
(816) 702-3926; 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 grain regarding kind, class, quality, and condition. AMS 
published a request for information on June 29, 2018, in the Federal 
Register (83 FR 30590), inviting interested parties to comment on 
whether the current canola standards and grading practices needed to be 
amended. Based on a request to extend the comment period, AMS reopened 
the comment period in a Federal Register publication on October 2, 
2018.
    AMS received a total of eight comments, during two separate comment 
periods, one of which requested that AMS extend the first comment 
period. Two comments requested the establishment of a national 
calibration for canola oil content to guarantee fair trade. Another 
comment requested the establishment of a national monitoring program 
for canola oil testing, to reduce the variability in canola oil 
results.
    In response to those comments, AMS notes that oil content is not a 
grade determining factor in any of the United States Standards for 
Grain. At this time, AMS has not received any comments that would 
support adding oil content as a grading factor to the canola standards. 
To pursue the development of standardized calibrations for analysis 
such oil content, the oil content of a specific grain would need to be 
identified as official criteria. AMS offers tests for official 
criteria, but the results do not impact the grade. A notice to propose 
official criteria must be published in the Federal Register (7 CFR 
800.4). Because oil content is not an official criterion for canola, 
AMS is not pursuing the establishment of a national monitoring program 
for oil content.
    AMS received one comment requesting the addition of erucic acid to 
the U.S. Standards for Canola because of its effect on human health. 
The commenter cited the English Centre for Food Safety as recommending 
erucic acid not exceed 5 percent of the weight of the fatty acid in 
oils. In response to this comment, AMS has already established, in the 
canola standard, the maximum level of erucic acid in canola (7 CFR 
810.301). Canola, by definition, must contain less than 2 percent 
erucic acid in its fatty acid profile.
    AMS received another comment from a stakeholder recommending the 
table of Grades and Grade Requirements in the Canola Regulations be 
changed to match the same table in Grain Inspection Handbook II, 
Chapter 3 Canola. AMS has reviewed the tables and confirmed that the 
information in the table of Grades and Grade Requirements is correct in 
both the Regulations and the Handbook, with differences only in 
formatting. AMS prefers the format of the table in the Regulations and 
will format the layout of the table in the Handbook to match the 
Regulations.
    AMS received two additional comments, of which one was not germane 
to the request for information, and another provided support for 
retaining the Canola Standards without change, stating that they are 
meeting their stated purpose.

Final Action

    Based on the comments received, AMS-FGIS is making no changes to 
the U.S Standards for Canola at this time.

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

Melissa Bailey,
Associate Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-28392 Filed 12-28-22; 8:45 am]
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