Notice2023-21832
Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request
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
October 3, 2023
Issuing agencies
Agriculture Department
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 190 (Tuesday, October 3, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 190 (Tuesday, October 3, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68094-68095]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-21832]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request
The Department of Agriculture has submitted the following
information collection requirement(s) to OMB for review and clearance
under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13. Comments
are requested regarding: whether the collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency,
including whether the information will have practical utility; the
accuracy of the agency's estimate of burden including the validity of
the methodology and assumptions used; ways to enhance the quality,
utility and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways to
minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are
to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology Comments regarding these
information collections are best assured of having their full effect if
received by November 2, 2023. Written comments and recommendations for
the proposed information collection should be submitted within 30 days
of the publication of this notice on the following website
<a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>. Find this particular information
collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--Open for
Public Comments'' or by using the search function
An agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information
unless the collection of information displays a currently valid OMB
control number and the agency informs potential persons who are to
respond to the collection of information that such persons are not
required to respond to the collection of information unless it displays
a currently valid OMB control number.
Agricultural Marketing Service
Title: Origin of Livestock--Variance Request.
OMB Control Number: 0581-NEW.
Summary of Collection: The Organic Foods Production Act of 1990
(OFPA), as amended (7 U.S.C. 6501--6524), authorizes the Secretary of
Agriculture to establish the National Organic Program (NOP) and
accredit certifying agents to certify that farms and businesses meet
national organic standards. The purpose of OFPA is to: (1) establish
national standards governing the marketing of certain agricultural
products as organically produced products; (2) assure
[[Page 68095]]
consumers that organically produced products meet a consistent
standard; and (3) facilitate interstate commerce in fresh and processed
food that is organically produced (7 U.S.C. 6501).
On April 5, 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA)
Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) published the ``Origin of
Livestock'' (OOL) final rule (87 FR 19740) related to livestock
production practices under the USDA organic regulations (7 CFR part
205). AMS took this action to increase uniformity in organic dairy
production practices and reduce organic certification discrepancies
between certifying agents. The final rule clarified that certified
organic dairy operations may transition nonorganic animals to organic
production only once. After that, any animals added to a certified
organic dairy operation must have been organically managed from the
last third of gestation. To provide flexibility, the final rule allows
[in 7 CFR 205.236(d)] small certified organic dairy operations to
request a variance under limited conditions. A variance is a process by
which an entity requests permission to not follow a particular
regulatory requirement without repercussion of regulatory
noncompliance. If the variance is approved by AMS, the small certified
organic dairy operation may source, sell, liquidate, or transfer, as
one event, organic dairy livestock that were transitioned to organic
production (livestock that were not organically managed from no later
than the last third of gestation).
Need and Use of the Information: AMS will be able to use other
information submitted as part of the currently approved information
collection package for the NOP (OMB #0581-0191) to determine if the
applicants qualify as a small business [the first variance eligibility
criterion at 7 CFR 205.236(d)(1)].
However, this new variance request specifies new information not
currently collected by AMS. This new information is described in the
USDA organic regulations in 7 CFR 205.236(d)(1)(i)-(iii) (see above).
To apply for a variance, respondents (small certified organic dairy
operations) will need to submit to AMS, through their certifying agent,
records that demonstrate that they qualify for a variance due to
bankruptcy proceedings, forced sales, insolvency, or an
intergenerational transfer.
The new information collected will be used by AMS to grant (or
deny) individual, small certified organic dairy operations a variance
from the USDA organic regulations in regard to the origin of livestock.
Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit; Farms.
Number of Respondents: 56.
Frequency of Responses: Reporting: Annually.
Total Burden Hours: 98.
Levi S. Harrell,
Departmental Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2023-21832 Filed 10-2-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on October 3, 2023.
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