USDA proposes increased plant export certification fees

USDA proposes increased plant export certification fees The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service proposes to incrementally increase its fees for several plant export certifications to cover the agency’s projected annual costs for providing these services.
   The agency proposes to increase its user fees from fiscal year 2007 to 2012. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) also plans to introduce a new user fee for federal export certificates obtained by plant exporters from cooperating state and county agencies.
   These certifications provide foreign governments assurance that U.S. plant shipments are checked for pest infestations before exportation.
   Under the proposed rule, the user fee for the certification of a commercial or re-export shipment would increase from $50 to $99 in fiscal 2007, with additional yearly increases reaching $106 by fiscal 2012. The user fee for low-value commercial or re-export shipments and noncommercial shipments would rise from $23 to $57 in fiscal 2007 and to $61 by fiscal 2012. The user fee to replace any export certificate would increase from $7 to $14 in fiscal 2007 and to $15 by fiscal 2012. The proposed new administrative user fee for each certificate issued by a state or county agency on behalf of APHIS would be set at $16 in fiscal 2007, increasing to $17 by fiscal 2012.
   “We maintain all export certification user fees we collect in a distinct account, carefully monitor the balance of this account, and only use these funds to pay for our actual costs for providing export certification services,” APHIS said in its proposal.
   APHIS will take comments from the industry about the proposal through Aug. 13. For more information, contact Kris Caraher of APHIS’s User Fee Section at (301) 734-5901, or access online: https://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/E7-11278.htm .