USDA raises plant export certification user fees

USDA raises plant export certification user fees    The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said it is raising user fees charged for export certification of plants and plant products, effective Oct. 1.
   The agency has not adjusted these fees since 1996.
   'The volume of exports of agricultural commodities has been growing since then. More and more foreign countries are requiring phytosanitary certification for the products they import, and their phytosanitary requirements are becoming increasingly numerous and complex,' APHIS said in a Federal Register notice published on Wednesday.
   'If APHIS were to continue to collect user fees using the rates in effect prior to the rulemaking, over the time period covered by this rule, the total collections would be approximately $25 million, which is nearly $33 million below the level of the projected costs of the program over that timeframe,' the agency explained.
   Specifically, APHIS will adjust its fees for the following services:
   ' Certification for export or re-export of a commercial shipment will increase from $50 to $77 in fiscal year 2010, $104 in fiscal year 2011, and $106 in fiscal year 2012 and subsequent years.
   ' Certification for export and re-export of a low-value commercial shipment will increase from $23 to $42 in fiscal year 2010, $60 in fiscal year 2011, and $61 in fiscal year 2012 and subsequent years.
   ' Certification for export and re-export of a non-commercial shipment will increase from $23 to $42 in fiscal year 2010, $60 in fiscal year 2011, and $61 in fiscal year 2012 and subsequent years.
   ' Replacement of any certificate for export or re-export will increase from $7 to $11 in fiscal year 2010 and $15 in fiscal year 2011 and subsequent years.
   In addition, APHIS is also adding a new user fee for exporters who obtain federal export certificates for plants and plant products from state and county cooperators in order to recover administrative costs associated with that service. Starting in fiscal year 2010, the fee will be $3 when the certificate is issued by APHIS's Phytosanitary Certificate Issuance and Tracking (PCIT) system, and $6 for a traditional paper certificate. In 2011 and subsequent years, the fees will be $5 for PCIT-issued certificates and $12 for traditional paper certificates.
   PCIT is an interactive Web-based system that enables U.S. exporters to apply for phytosanitary certificates online, schedule commodity inspections, and print out copies of their certificates.
   Numerous commodities are potentially eligible for certification under the APHIS export certification program. They generally include live plants; fresh and dried fruits, vegetables and nuts; unroasted coffee; cereal grains; milling products; oil seeds; raw sugar; tobacco; wood; and cotton.
   APHIS believes that overall the increases in export certification user fees will have minimal impact on the industry. 'While increases in the fees are large in percentage terms, they are small relative to the revenues generated by wholesalers of plants and plant products,' the agency said.
   For more details, access the Federal Register notice.