The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) published a final rule in response to the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (Farm Bill) which amended the U.S. Grain Standards Act to allow official grain inspection agency (OA) customers to obtain official services from providers other than their assigned OA.

The final rule was published in the Federal Register on May 3, 2023, and becomes effective on August 1, 2023.

The final rule establishes a three-tiered system under which customers can request a one-time, 90-day, or long-term timely service exception from their assigned OA. Customers can also request a nonuse of service exception if they have not been receiving official services from their assigned OA for ninety days. The rule provides a process that allows an assigned OA to challenge requests for service exceptions.

Applications for an exception and a list of current exceptions are available on AMS’ USGSA Designation Exceptions webpage.

AMS’ Federal Grain Inspection Service will hold a webinar on July 11, 2023, to provide a walkthrough of the exception application process. Those who wish to attend must register for the webinar in advance.

For more information contact Jacob Thein, Acting Deputy Director, Quality Assurance and Compliance Division, at 816.308.1351 or FGISQACD@usda.gov.

Original source can be found here.