Veterinary Services User Fees; Pet Food Facility Inspection and Approval Fees

We are amending the user fee regulations to replace the flat rate annual user fees currently charged for the inspection and approval of pet food manufacturing, rendering, blending, digest, and spraying and drying facilities with user fees based on hourly rates for inspections and approval. We have found that the flat rate annual user fees we have been charging no longer cover the costs of our inspections and cannot be adequately formulated to cover the costs of the inspections and reinspections mandated by various foreign regions to which those facilities export their pet food ingredients or products. This action will ensure that our user fees cover the cost of providing these services to pet food facilities.