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USDA Undertaking Regulatory Review Of Federal Order Program

Comments Due April 13; USDA Will Consider Continued Need For Federal Orders, Nature Of Complaints Or Comments

USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced in a notice published in Wednesday’s Federal Register that it is undertaking a review of the federal milk marketing order program.

The review will be conducted using the criteria contained in section 610 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA).

Written comments, views, opinions, and other information regarding the federal order program’s impact on small business are invited. Comments must be received by April 13, 2015, and may be submitted electronically at www.regulations.gov.

Written comments may also be sent to Erin C. Taylor, marketing specialist, Order Formulation and Enforcement Branch, USDA/AMS/Dairy Programs, STOP 0231-Room 2971-S, 1400 Independence Ave. SW, Washingtonm, DC 20250-0231.

The purpose of the review is to determine whether the federal order program should be continued without change, amended, or rescinded to minimize any significant economic impact of rules upon a substantial number of small entities.

The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service will consider:
• the continued need for the federal order program;
• the nature of complaints or comments received from the public concerning the federal order program;
• the complexity of the federal order program;
• the extent to which the federal order program overlaps, duplicates, or conflicts with other federal rules; and, to the extent feasible, with state and local government rules; and
• the length of time since the federal order program has been evaluated or the degrees to which technology, economic conditions, or other factors have changed in the area affect by the federral order program.

The federal order program is authorized by the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, and “is designed to ensure a stable supply of fresh fluid milk for fluid processors and consumers,” the Federal
Register notice explained. The program accomplishes this by providing a framework to make buying and selling milk a more orderly process, thereby counteracting the inherent instability in the fluid milk markets.
Approximately 60 percent of all milk marketed in the US is marketed under federal orders, AMS noted.

The two principle objectives of the federal order program, AMS continued, are the classified pricing of products and the marketwide pooling of returns. A classified pricing plan sets forth minimum prices that handlers must pay for milk used in different...send me more information