Written by M. Sean High – Staff Attorney
The following information is an update of recent,
local, state, national, and international legal developments relevant to
agriculture:
Animal
Welfare: USDA Proposes Rule Amending Organic Livestock and Poultry Production
Requirements
On April 13, 2016, the United States Department of
Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service published a proposed rule in the
Federal Register that would amend the organic livestock and poultry production
requirements (81 FR 21955). According to
the proposed rule, the proposal would “add new provisions for livestock
handling and transport for slaughter and avian living conditions; and expand
and clarify existing requirements covering livestock health care practices and
mammalian living conditions.” The comment period for the proposed rule closes
June 13, 2016.
Pipelines:
Proposed Rule on Safety of Transmission and Gathering Lines Published
On April 8, 2016, the United States Department of
Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration published
notice of a proposed rule in the Federal Register “to revise the Pipeline
Safety Regulations applicable to the safety of onshore gas transmission and
gathering pipelines” (81 FR 20721).
According to the proposed rule, the proposal is intended to provide
“additional safety measures to increase the level of safety for those pipelines
that are not in HCAs [High Consequence Areas] as well as clarifications and
selected enhancements to integrity management requirements to improve safety in
HCAs.” The comment period for the proposed rule closes June 7, 2016.
Animal
Classification: USDA Amends Definition of “Roaster” Chickens
On April 13, 2016, the United States Department of
Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service published notice in the Federal
Register of a final rule “amending the definition and standard of identity for
the ‘roaster’ or ‘roasting chicken’ poultry class to better reflect the
characteristics of ‘roaster’ chickens in the market today” (81 FR 21706). According
to the final rule, because “[g]enetic changes and management techniques have
continued to reduce the grow-out period and increased the RTC [ready-to-cook] weight
for this poultry class,” the new definition of roaster “remove[s] the 8-week
minimum age criterion and increase[s] the RTC carcass weight from 5 pounds to
5.5 pounds.” The effective date for the final rule is January 1, 2018.
Industrial
Hemp: Legislation Moves to Senate Committee
On April 12, 2016, Pennsylvania House Bill 967 (HB 967), legislation that would legalize the growth and cultivation of industrial
hemp for research purposes, was referred to the Pennsylvania Senate’s
Agricultural and Rural Affairs Committee. The action comes as a result of the
recent unanimous vote by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to pass HB
967 (see previous Penn State Agricultural Law Blog article).
Food
Safety: USDA Proposes Permitting Honduran Poultry into the U.S.
On April 13, 2016, the United States Department of
Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) published notice in the
Federal Register of a proposed rule for the inclusion of Honduras on the list
of countries eligible to export poultry products into the United States (81 FR21758). According to the proposed rule,
“FSIS review of Honduras' laws, regulations, and inspection system demonstrated
that its poultry slaughter inspection system is equivalent to the system FSIS
has established under the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA) and its
implementing regulations.” The comment period for the proposed rule closes June
13, 2016.
Animal
Slaughter: Vermont Senate Committee Discusses On-Farm Slaughter Bill
On April 12, 2016, the Vermont Senate Committee on
Agriculture held discussion regarding Vermont House Bill 860 (H.860);
legislation that would extend an exemption authorizing on-farm animal slaughter
activities through July 1, 2019. The
action came as a result of a March 17, 2016 vote by the Vermont House of
Representatives to pass H.860. Currently,
Vermont’s law providing exemption for on-farm animal slaughter is scheduled to
expire on July 1, 2016.
SNAP:
Information Collection Request Approved
On April 8, 2016, the United States Department of
Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service published notice in the Federal Register
of approval of a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Final Rule
Information Collection Request (ICR) (81 FR 20524). The ICR approval was
published in connection to a final rule, published on January 19, 2016,
amending SNAP operations, reporting, reviews, definitions, and coupons (81 FR2725).
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