USDA raises import/export service fees

USDA raises import/export service fees    The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will increase user fees for import- and export-related services that it provides for animals, animal products, birds, germplasm, organisms and vectors for fiscal years 2009 to 2013, effective April 29.
   The agency said in a Monday Federal Register notice that the increase is needed to “ensure that the fees accurately reflect the anticipated costs of providing these services each year.”
   The fees are authorized under the 1990 Food, Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act. Since 1992, APHIS has received no directly appropriated funds to provide import- and export-related services. The agency said the new user fees were based on the costs to provide these services in fiscal years 2005 to 2007, plus anticipated annual increases in salaries for employees who provide these services.
   APHIS said if it were to continue to collect user fees at the current rates in fiscal years 2009 to 2013, total collections would be nearly $54 million short of projected program costs over that period. “We are confident that the user fees we proposed will be sufficient to recover the cost of providing these services,” the agency said.
   To view the complete list of user fees, access the Federal Register notice.