Public Quarterly Meeting of the Board of Directors

Published date15 April 2021
Citation86 FR 19869
Record Number2021-07734
SectionNotices
CourtAfrican Development Foundation
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER
contains documents other than rules or
proposed rules that are applicable to the
public. Notices of hearings and investigations,
committee meetings, agency decisions and
rulings, delegations of authority, filing of
petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are
examples of documents appearing in this
section.
Notices Federal Register
19869
Vol. 86, No. 71
Thursday, April 15, 2021
AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT
FOUNDATION
Public Quarterly Meeting of the Board
of Directors
AGENCY
: United States African
Development Foundation.
ACTION
: Notice of meeting.
SUMMARY
: The US African Development
Foundation (USADF) will hold its
quarterly meeting of the Board of
Directors to discuss the agency’s
programs and administration. This
meeting will occur at the USADF office.
DATES
: The meeting date is Tuesday,
April 27, 2021, 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
ADDRESSES
: The meeting will be held by
teleconference. Please contact the
Agency Contact listed below for
conference details.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
:
Nina-Belle Mbayu, (202) 233–8808,
nbmbayu@usadf.gov.
(Authority: Public Law 96–533 (22 U.S.C.
290h)).
Dated: April 12, 2021.
Nina-Belle Mbayu,
Acting General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2021–07734 Filed 4–14–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6117–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Marketing Service
7 CFR Part 966
[Doc. No. AMS–SC–20–0004; SC20–966–1]
Tomatoes Grown in Florida;
Modification of Handling
Requirements; Withdrawal
AGENCY
: Agricultural Marketing Service,
USDA.
ACTION
: Proposed rule, withdrawal.
SUMMARY
: The U.S. Department of
Agriculture withdraws a proposed rule
recommended by the Florida Tomato
Committee (Committee) to revise the
exemption, container, and definition
sections under the Marketing Order’s
handling requirements and to update
language to reflect current industry
practices. After reviewing and
considering the comments received, the
proposed rule is being withdrawn.
DATES
: As of April 15, 2021, the
proposed rule published on June 9,
2020, at 85 FR 35222, is withdrawn.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
:
Steven W. Kauffman, Marketing
Specialist, or Christian D. Nissen,
Regional Director, Southeast Marketing
Field Office, Marketing Order and
Agreement Division, Specialty Crops
Program, AMS, USDA; Telephone: (863)
324–3375, Fax: (863) 291–8614, or
Email: Steven.Kauffman@usda.gov or
Christian.Nissen@usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
: This
withdrawal is issued under Marketing
Agreement No. 125 and Order No. 966,
as amended (7 CFR part 966), regulating
the handling of tomatoes grown in
Florida. Part 966 (referred to as the
‘‘Order’’) is effective under the
Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act
of 1937, as amended (7 U.S.C. 601–674),
hereinafter referred to as the ‘‘Act.’’ The
Committee locally administers the
Order and is comprised of producers
operating within the production area.
This action withdraws a proposed
rule published in the Federal Register
on June 9, 2020, (85 FR 35222) to revise
the exemption, container, and definition
sections in the handling requirements of
the Order. Specifically, the proposal
would have removed the exemption for
pear shaped or Roma type tomatoes.
This would have required Roma type
tomatoes to meet the grade, pack and
container, inspection, and reporting
requirements, and Roma type tomatoes
would have been subject to assessment
under the Order.
The proposal also would have
changed the exemption language for
greenhouse and hydroponic tomatoes by
eliminating the exemptions for
greenhouse and hydroponic production
and would have established a new
exemption and definition for controlled
environment production. It would have
also adjusted the pack and container
requirements, and updated language to
reflect current industry practices.
During the proposed rule’s 30-day
comment period, eight comments were
received. All the comments may be
viewed on the internet at http://
www.regulations.gov. Of the comments
received, one comment favored aspects
of the rule, and another favored
implementing the handling
requirements for Roma tomatoes, but
opposed the new exemption definition
for ‘‘controlled environment.’’ Four
comments opposed removing the
exemption for Roma tomatoes, and three
of these comments also opposed the
exemption change and definition for
‘‘controlled environment’’, with one
further opposing the changes to the
container requirements. The other
comments received pertained to issues
that were not applicable to the proposed
rule.
The proposed rule would have
established changes to the handling
requirements of the tomato Order.
However, section 8e of the Act (7 U.S.C.
608e–1) provides that when certain
domestically produced commodities,
including tomatoes, are regulated under
a Federal marketing order, imports of
that commodity must meet the same or
comparable grade, size, quality, and
maturity requirements. Since the
proposed rule would have adjusted the
exemptions to require previously
exempt tomatoes to meet grade and/or
size requirements, a corresponding
change would have been needed to the
tomato import regulations. The
corresponding changes to the tomato
import regulations were to be addressed
in a separate rulemaking action. The
comments opposed to the proposed rule
focused primarily on the potential
impact of changes to the tomato import
regulations stemming from the changes
to the domestic requirements as
specified by section 8e.
The opposing comments indicated the
proposed changes would increase the
cost and time to bring imported
tomatoes to market. Other comments
expressed the proposed rule was an
attempt to set up technical barriers to
restrict free trade, limit fair competition
and would only benefit small economic
special interests. Another stated some of
the proposed changes were unnecessary,
as Roma tomatoes from Mexico already
must meet grade requirements under the
U.S.-Mexico Suspension Agreement.
Several comments objected to the
definition of ‘‘controlled environment’’,
stating it was trying to define
production techniques that were not
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