March 30, 2012

USDA removes pork, DDG reporting rule

A new ruling requiring weekly export sales reports for pork and distillers dried grain (DDG) has been withdrawn by the USDA until the Obama administration approves it.

The USDA published the rule in the Federal Register on March 8, before the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) had finished reviewing it, Pete Burr of the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) said in an email.

Under the rule, pork and DDG, a common livestock feed, would join a list of commodities for which exporters must report weekly sales quantity, destination and marketing year to FAS.

Sales and shipments data for those commodities would then be available within two weeks, a quicker turnaround than the about two-month lag before the Census Bureau would report the data.

Exports of pork and DDG have grown significantly in recent years, and the rule is intended to improve market transparency, according to a USDA statement issued earlier this month.

The agency will republish the rule once OMB approves it and will re-start the 60-day comment period. Comments submitted during the original period will still be considered, according to a statement on the USDA website.