Notice2022-17744
2022/2023 Rates Charged for AMS Services: Revised Rates for Audit Services
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
August 18, 2022
Issuing agencies
Agriculture DepartmentAgricultural Marketing Service
Abstract
The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is announcing revisions to the 2022/2023 rates it will charge for Federal and State Audit Services provided by the Specialty Crop Program. Revisions correct the base units for these user fee rates, which were published on June 14, 2022. All other AMS user fee rates will remain unchanged.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 159 (Thursday, August 18, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 159 (Thursday, August 18, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50827-50828]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-17744]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Marketing Service
[Doc. No. AMS-AMS-22-0056]
2022/2023 Rates Charged for AMS Services: Revised Rates for Audit
Services
AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is announcing
revisions to the 2022/2023 rates it will charge for Federal and State
Audit Services provided by the Specialty Crop Program. Revisions
correct the base units for these user fee rates, which were published
on June 14, 2022. All other AMS user fee rates will remain unchanged.
DATES: August 19, 2022.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Stephen Slinsky, Legislative and
Regulatory Review Officer, AMS, USDA, AMS, USDA, Room 2036-S, 1400
Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20250; telephone (901) 287-9719,
or email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#73000716031b161d5d001f1a1d00180a33060017125d141c05"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="dfacabbaafb7bab1f1acb3b6b1acb4a69faaacbbbef1b8b0a9">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, as
amended (AMA) (7 U.S.C. 1621-1627), provides for the collection of fees
to cover costs of various inspection, grading, certification, or
auditing services covering many agricultural commodities and products.
On November 13, 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
published in the Federal Register a final rule that established
standardized formulas for calculating fee rates charged by AMS user-
funded programs (79 FR 67313). Every year since then, USDA has
published in the Federal Register a notice announcing rates for its
user-funded programs.
On June 14, 2022, the notice announcing the 2022/2023 fee rates was
published in the Federal Register (87 FR 35956). Since publication of
this notice, personnel in AMS's Specialty Crop Program realized that
the 2022/2023 rates pertaining to Federal and State Auditing Services
were published with the wrong units specified--per-audit fee rates were
published rather than per-hour rates. Therefore, AMS is announcing
revisions to the 2022/2023 Federal and State Auditing Services rates.
Revised rates are hourly rates and will become October 1, 2022, as
anticipated.
Rates Calculations
AMS Specialty Crop Program's inspection, certification, and
auditing services are voluntary tools paid for by the users on a fee-
for-service basis. Industry participants may choose to use these tools
to promote and communicate the quality of fresh and processed fruits
and vegetables to consumers. AMS is required by statute to recover
costs associated with providing these services. Rates reflect direct
and indirect costs of providing services. Direct costs include the cost
of salaries, employee benefits, operating costs and, if applicable,
travel costs. Indirect or overhead costs include the cost of Program
and Agency activities supporting services provided to the industry. The
formula used to calculate these rates also considers the need to
maintain operating reserves.
AMS calculated rates for services, on a per-hour basis or per-unit
basis, by dividing total AMS operating cost associated with inspection,
certification and auditing by the total number of hours required or
units inspected and certified the previous year, which is then
multiplied by the next year's percentage of cost-of-living increase,
plus an allowance for bad debt rate. If applicable, travel expenses may
also be
[[Page 50828]]
added to the cost of providing the service.
All rates are per-hour except when a per-unit cost is noted. The
specific amounts in each rate calculation are available upon request.
2022/2023 Rates
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Includes
Regular Overtime Holiday travel costs Start date
in rate
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Specialty Crops Fees
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7 CFR Part 51--Fresh Fruits, Vegetables and Other Products (Inspection, Certification, and Standards)
Subpart A--Requirements;....................................................................................
Sec. Sec. 51.37-51.44 Schedule of Fees and Charges at Destination Markets............................
Sec. 51.45 Schedule of Fees and Charges at Shipping Point Areas.......................................
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Quality and Condition $225.00 per lot ............. Oct. 1, 2022.
Inspections for Whole Lots.
Quality and Condition Half $186.00 per lot ............. Oct. 1, 2022.
Lot or Condition-Only
Inspections for Whole Lots.
Condition--Half Lot.......... $172.00 per lot ............. Oct. 1, 2022.
Quality and Condition or $103.00 per lot ............. Oct. 1, 2022.
Condition-Only Inspections
for Additional Lots of the
Same Product.
Dockside Inspections--Each $0.044 per pkg. ............. Oct. 1, 2022.
package weighing <30 lbs.
Dockside Inspections--Each $0.068/pkg. ............. Oct. 1, 2022.
package weighing >30 lbs.
Charge per Individual Product $225.00/lot ............. Oct. 1, 2022.
for Dockside Inspection.
Charge per Each Additional $103.00/lot ............. Oct. 1, 2022.
Lot of the Same Product.
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Inspections for All Hourly $100.00 $137.00 $175.00 ............. Oct. 1, 2022.
Work.
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Audit Services--Federal...... $132.00 ............. Oct. 1, 2022.
Audit Services--State........ $132.00 ............. Oct. 1, 2022.
GFSI Certification Fee \1\... $250.00/audit ............. Oct. 1, 2022.
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7 CFR Part 52--Processed Fruits and Vegetables, Processed Products Thereof, and Other Processed Food Products
Subpart A--Requirements Governing Inspection and Certification;.............................................
Sec. Sec. 52.41--52.51 Fees and Charges..............................................................
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Lot Inspections.............. $85.00 $112.00 $139.00 ............. Oct. 1, 2022.
In-plant Inspections Under $85.00 $107.00 $129.00 ............. Oct. 1, 2022.
Annual Contract (year-round).
Additional Graders (in-plant) $91.00 $120.00 $149.00 ............. Oct. 1, 2022.
or Less Than Year-Round.
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Audit Services--Federal...... $132.00 ............. Oct. 1, 2022.
Audit Services--State........ $132.00 ............. Oct. 1, 2022.
GFSI Certification Fee\1\.... $250.00/audit ............. Oct. 1, 2022.
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\1\ Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) Certification Fee--$250 per GFSI audit to recoup the costs associated
with attaining technical equivalency to the GFSI benchmarking requirements.
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1621-1627.
Melissa Bailey,
Associate Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-17744 Filed 8-17-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P
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