Revision of Fees for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Terminal Market Inspection Services

This rule revises the regulations governing the inspection and certification for fresh fruits, vegetables and other products by increasing by approximately 15 percent certain fees charged for the inspection of these products at destination markets. The fees for inspecting multiple lots of the same product during inspections will be increased from $14.00 to $45.00, and the per package fees for dock-side inspections will be changed from a three interval schedule, based on weight, to a two interval schedule based on different weight thresholds. These revisions are necessary in order to recover, as nearly as practicable, the costs of performing inspection services at destination markets under the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (AMA of 1946). The fees charged to persons required to have inspections on imported commodities in accordance with the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937 and for imported peanuts under section 1308 of the Farm Security and Rural Investigation Act of 2002.