Supply Chains for the Production of Agricultural Commodities and Food Products
| Published date | 21 April 2021 |
| Citation | 86 FR 20652 |
| Record Number | 2021-08152 |
| Section | Notices |
| Court | Agricultural Marketing Service,Agriculture Department |
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Notices Federal Register
20652
Vol. 86, No. 75
Wednesday, April 21, 2021
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Marketing Service
[Document Number AMS–TM–21–0034]
Supply Chains for the Production of
Agricultural Commodities and Food
Products
AGENCY
: Agricultural Marketing Service,
USDA.
ACTION
: Notice; request for public
comments.
SUMMARY
: On February 24, 2021,
President Biden issued an Executive
Order on ‘‘America’s Supply Chains,’’
which directs several Federal agency
actions to secure and strengthen
America’s supply chains. One of these
directions is for the Secretary of
Agriculture (the Secretary) to submit,
within one year, a report to the
President that assesses the supply
chains for the production of agricultural
commodities and food products. This
notice requests comments and
information from the public to assist the
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
in preparing the report required by the
Executive Order. Through this notice,
USDA is also requesting public
comment to inform our thinking
regarding how stimulus relief programs
and spending related to food supply
chain resilience as authorized by the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021
(CAA), and the American Rescue Plan
Act of 2021 (ARPA) can help to increase
durability and resilience within the U.S.
food supply.
DATES
: Comments must be received by
May 21, 2021.
ADDRESSES
: All written comments in
response to this notice should be posted
online at www.regulations.gov.
Comments received will be posted
without change, including any personal
information provided. All comments
should reference the docket number
AMS–TM–21–0034, the date of
submission, and the page number of this
issue of the Federal Register. Comments
may also be sent to Dr. Melissa R.
Bailey, Agricultural Marketing Service,
USDA, Room 2055–S, STOP 0201, 1400
Independence Avenue SW, Washington,
DC 20250–0201. Comments will be
made available for public inspection at
the above address during regular
business hours or via the internet at
www.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
: Dr.
Melissa R. Bailey, Agricultural
Marketing Service, at (202) 205–9356; or
by email at melissa.bailey@usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
:
I. Background
On February 24, 2021, President
Biden issued Executive Order 14017,
‘‘America’s Supply Chains’’ (86 FR
11849) (E.O. 14017). E.O. 14017 focuses
on the need for resilient, diverse, and
secure supply chains to ensure U.S.
economic prosperity and national
security. Such supply chains are needed
to address conditions that can reduce
critical manufacturing capacity and the
availability and integrity of critical
goods, products, and services. In
relevant part, E.O. 14017 directs that,
within one year, the Secretary shall
submit a report to the President, through
the Assistant to the President for
National Security Affairs (APNSA) and
the Assistant to the President for
Economic Policy (APEP), on the supply
chains for the production of agricultural
commodities and food products. This
notice requests comments and
information from the public to assist
USDA in preparing the report required
by E.O. 14017. Further, USDA will use
public comments received through this
notice to inform our thinking regarding
how stimulus relief programs and
spending related to food supply chain
resilience as authorized by the CAA and
the ARPA can help to increase
durability and resilience within the U.S.
food supply. We are particularly
interested in comments addressing local
and regional food systems, creating new
market opportunities (including for
value-added agriculture and value-
added products), facilitating fair and
competitive markets (including
traceability and supply chain
transparency), advancing efforts to
transform the food system, meeting the
needs of the agricultural workforce,
supporting and promoting consumers’
nutrition security, particularly for low-
income populations, and supporting the
needs of socially disadvantaged and
small to mid-sized producers and
processors.
In developing this report, the
Secretary will consult with the heads of
appropriate agencies, and will be
advised by all relevant components of
USDA, including but not limited to the
Office of the Chief Economist, Office of
Homeland Security, Agricultural
Marketing Service, Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service, Food Safety
and Inspection Service, Agricultural
Research Service, Economic Research
Service, National Institute of Food and
Agriculture, Rural Development, Farm
Service Agency, Risk Management
Agency, Natural Resources Conservation
Service, Food and Nutrition Service,
and Foreign Agricultural Service.
II. Written Comments
USDA is particularly interested in
comments and information directed to
the policy objectives listed in E.O.
14017 as they affect agricultural and
food products supply chains, including
but not limited to the following
elements:
(i) The critical goods and materials
underlying agricultural and food
product supply chains. Under section
6(b) of E.O. 14017, ‘‘critical goods and
materials’’ means goods and raw
materials currently defined under
statute or regulation as ‘‘critical’’
materials, technologies, or
infrastructure;
(ii) other essential goods and
materials underlying agricultural and
food product supply chains, including
digital products, and infrastructure.
Under section 6(d) of E.O. 14017, ‘‘other
essential goods and materials’’ means
those that are essential to national and
economic security, emergency
preparedness, or to advance the policy
set forth in section 1 of E.O. 14017, but
not included within the definition of
‘‘critical goods and materials.’’ USDA
also will consider ‘‘other essential goods
and materials’’ relative to nutrition
security given its related importance to
national and economic security. USDA
is particularly interested in comments
on the following goods and materials
pertaining to agricultural and food
supply chain resilience including, but
not limited to: Seed, fertilizer,
pesticides, livestock/animal health, feed
and feed additives, plant health, soil
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health, water (availability, quality,
access, infrastructure), energy
(availability, access, infrastructure),
viability of pollinators, the agricultural
workforce (sufficiency, reliability,
documentation, health and well-being),
access to capital/financing, access to
farm production tools (including for
farmers interested in value-added
agriculture such as USDA organic
certification), access to critical food
distribution assets (shipping containers,
cold chain equipment, and materials
such as packaging) and technology,
access to food processing and markets
(including traceability and
transparency), and access to training,
education, and technical assistance;
(iii) the manufacturing or other
capabilities necessary to produce the
materials identified in subsections (i)
and (ii) of this section, including
emerging capabilities. USDA is
particularly interested in comments on
the processing and distribution,
capacity, and access issues associated
with food production across all
agricultural commodities, the varying
scales at which processing is available
(including availability for small to mid-
size producers), the geographic
distribution of such processing (e.g.,
availability to local and regional
producers and food hubs), access to
transportation hubs and export
facilities, and cold chain infrastructure
and capacity, access to packaging
(including the availability of sustainable
packaging), as well as the ownership
and financial viability of such facilities;
(iv) the defense, intelligence, cyber,
homeland security, health, climate,
environmental, natural, market,
economic, geopolitical, human-rights or
forced-labor risks or other contingencies
that may disrupt, strain, compromise, or
eliminate the supply chain—including
risks posed by supply chains’ reliance
on digital products that may be
vulnerable to failures or exploitation,
and risks resulting from the elimination
of, or failure to develop domestically,
the capabilities identified in subsection
(iii) of this section—and that are
sufficiently likely to arise so as to
require reasonable preparation for their
occurrence;
(v) the resilience and capacity of
American manufacturing supply chains,
including food processing (e.g., meat,
poultry, and seafood processing) and
distribution, and the industrial and
agricultural base—whether civilian or
defense—of the United States to support
national, economic, and nutrition
security, emergency preparedness, and
the policy identified in section 1 of E.O.
14017, in the event any of the
contingencies identified in subsection
(iv) of this section occurs, including an
assessment of:
(A) The manufacturing or other
needed capacities of the United States,
including the ability to modernize to
meet future needs, including food
processing (such as meat, poultry, and
seafood processing) and distribution;
(B) gaps in domestic manufacturing
capabilities, including nonexistent,
extinct, threatened, or single-point-of-
failure capabilities;
(C) supply chains with a single point
of failure, single or dual suppliers, or
limited resilience, especially for
subcontractors, as defined by section
44.101 of title 48, Code of Federal
Regulations (Federal Acquisition
Regulation). USDA is particularly
interested in comments related to the
role of market concentration and
consolidation in agricultural sectors and
how it affects food system resilience,
including potential system failures in
the face of supply chain disruptions;
(D) the location and geographic
distribution of key manufacturing and
production assets, with any significant
risks identified in subsection (iv) of this
section posed by the assets’ physical
location or the distribution of these
facilities. USDA is interested in
comments on the risks associated with
the current geographic distribution and
diversification of where U.S. crops and
livestock are grown/raised, processed,
and marketed;
(E) exclusive or dominant supply of
critical goods and materials and other
essential goods and materials, as
identified in subsections (i) and (ii) of
this section, by or through nations that
are, or are likely to become, unfriendly
or unstable;
(F) the availability of substitutes or
alternative sources for critical goods and
materials and other essential goods and
materials, as identified in subsections (i)
and (ii) of this section. For example,
USDA encourages commenters to
consider agricultural products that
could be domestically grown but are not
practically available today for various
reasons, and to describe whether and
how such products (or their
alternatives) could be made available
through supply chain resilience efforts;
(G) current domestic education and
manufacturing workforce skills for the
relevant sector and identified gaps,
opportunities, and potential best
practices in meeting the future
workforce needs for the relevant sector;
(H) the need for research and
development capacity to sustain
leadership in the development of
critical goods and materials and other
essential goods and materials, as
identified in subsections (i) and (ii) of
this section. USDA is particularly
interested in comments related to
education, technical assistance, capacity
building, organizational development,
and support necessary for success in
U.S. agriculture and food production,
processing, distribution, and marketing,
including how to best target support for
socially disadvantaged producers and
processors, tribal communities, small
businesses, beginning farmers and
ranchers, and other key stakeholder
groups;
(I) the role of transportation systems
in supporting existing supply chains
and risks associated with those
transportation systems; and
(J) the risks posed by climate change
to the availability, production, or
transportation of critical goods and
materials and other essential goods and
materials, as identified in subsections (i)
and (ii) of this section. Given the risks
posed, USDA is particularly interested
in the potential to retool, reengineer, or
develop new capacity that would
address the risks, improve efficiency,
and have a climate benefit due to lower
energy use, less food waste, or hasten
capture of by-products and co-products
(among other benefits).
(vi) allied and partner actions,
including whether United States allies
and partners have also identified and
prioritized the critical goods and
materials and other essential goods and
materials identified in subsections (i)
and (ii) of this section, and possible
avenues for international engagement;
(vii) the primary causes of risks for
any aspect of the agricultural and food
production supply chains assessed as
vulnerable pursuant to subsection (v) of
this section;
(viii) a prioritization of the critical
goods and materials and other essential
goods and materials, including digital
products, identified in subsections (i)
and (ii) of this section for the purpose
of identifying options and policy
recommendations. The prioritization
shall be based on statutory or regulatory
requirements; importance to national,
economic, and nutrition security,
emergency preparedness, and the policy
set forth in section 1 of E.O. 14017;
(ix) specific policy recommendations
important to transforming the food
system and increasing reliance in the
supply chain for the sector. Such
recommendations may include
sustainably reshoring supply chains and
developing domestic supplies,
cooperating with allies and partners to
identify alternative supply chains,
building redundancy into domestic
supply chains, ensuring and enlarging
stockpiles, developing workforce
capabilities, enhancing access to
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financing, expanding research and
development to broaden supply chains,
addressing risks due to vulnerabilities
in digital products relied on by supply
chains, addressing risks posed by
climate change, strengthening supply
chains’ ability to promote nutrition
security, and any other
recommendations. For example, as a
part of this assessment, USDA is
interested in recommendations that
could improve local and regional food
production, processing, packaging, and
distribution, particularly for small to
mid-sized producers and processors;
support national nutrition security and
health; address agricultural workforce
needs; strengthen market transparency
(such as traceability); and address
disproportionate impacts on socially
disadvantaged communities. As USDA
implements stimulus relief programs
and spending authorized by the CAA
and ARPA, we seek public comments on
targeting funds toward food supply
chain resiliency. USDA’s initial
thinking includes, but is not limited to,
funding, through a combination of
grants or loans, needs such as: Supply
chain retooling to address multiple
needs at once (i.e., achieving both
climate benefits and addressing supply
gaps or vulnerabilities concurrently),
expansion of local and regional food
capacity and distribution (e.g., hubs,
cooperative development, cold chain
improvements, infrastructure),
development of local and regional meat
and poultry processing and seafood
processing and distribution, and food
supply chain capacity building for
socially disadvantaged communities.
USDA notes that we will also consider
public comments received during
USDA’s March 19, 2021, listening
session and associated written
comments on Coronavirus Response
Grants related to CAA funding as part of
the information considered for this
Executive Order report;
(x) any executive, legislative,
regulatory, and policy changes and any
other actions to strengthen the
capabilities identified in subsection (iii)
of this section, and to prevent, avoid, or
prepare for any of the contingencies
identified in subsection (iv) of this
section; and
(xi) proposals for improving the
Government-wide effort to strengthen
supply chains, including proposals for
coordinating actions with ongoing
efforts that could be considered
duplicative of the work of E.O. 14017 or
with existing Government mechanisms
that could be used to implement E.O.
14017 in a more effective manner.
USDA encourages commenters, when
addressing the elements above, to
structure their comments using the same
text as identifiers for the areas of inquiry
to which their comments respond. This
would assist USDA in more easily
reviewing and summarizing the
comments received in response to these
specific comment areas. For example, a
commenter submitting comments
responsive to ‘‘(i) critical and essential
goods and materials underlying
agricultural and food product supply
chains’’ would use that same text as a
heading in the public comment
followed by the commenter’s specific
comments in this area.
III. Requirements for Written
Comments
The http://www.regulations.gov
website allows users to provide
comments by filling in a ‘‘Type
Comment’’ field or by attaching a
document using an ‘‘Upload File’’ field.
USDA prefers that comments be
provided in an attached document.
USDA prefers submissions in Microsoft
Word (.doc files) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf
files). If the submission is in an
application format other than Microsoft
Word or Adobe Acrobat, please indicate
the name of the application in the
‘‘Type Comment’’ field. Please do not
attach separate cover letters to
electronic submissions; rather, include
any information that might appear in a
cover letter within the comments.
Similarly, to the extent possible, please
include any exhibits, annexes, or other
attachments in the same file, so that the
submission consists of one file instead
of multiple files. Comments (both public
comments and non-confidential
versions of comments containing
business confidential information) will
be placed in the docket and open to
public inspection. Comments may be
viewed on http://www.regulations.gov
by entering docket number AMS–TM–
21–0034 in the search field on the home
page. All filers should name their files
using the name of the person or entity
submitting the comments. Anonymous
comments are also accepted.
Communications from agencies of the
United States Government will not be
made available for public inspection.
Anyone submitting business
confidential information should clearly
identify the business confidential
portion at the time of submission, file a
statement justifying nondisclosure and
referring to the specific legal authority
claimed, and provide a non-confidential
version of the submission. The
nonconfidential version of the
submission will be placed in the public
file on http://www.regulations.gov. For
comments submitted electronically
containing business confidential
information, the file name of the
business confidential version should
begin with the characters ‘‘BC.’’ Any
page containing business confidential
information must be clearly marked
‘‘BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL’’ on the
top of that page. The non-confidential
version must be clearly marked
‘‘PUBLIC.’’ The file name of the
nonconfidential version should begin
with the character ‘‘P.’’ The ‘‘BC’’ and
‘‘P’’ should be followed by the name of
the person or entity submitting the
comments or rebuttal comments. If a
public hearing is held in support of this
supply chain assessment, a separate
Federal Register notice will be
published providing the date and
information about the hearing.
Bruce Summers,
Administrator, Agricultural Marketing
Service.
[FR Doc. 2021–08152 Filed 4–20–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Nutrition Service
Agency Information Collection
Activities: School Meals Operations
Study: Evaluation of the COVID–19
Child Nutrition Waivers and Child
Nutrition Programs
AGENCY
: Food and Nutrition Service
(FNS), USDA.
ACTION
: Notice.
SUMMARY
: In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this
notice invites the general public and
other public agencies to comment on
this proposed information collection.
This collection is a revision of a
currently approved collection for the
School Meals Operations (SMO) Study
(OMB control number 0584–0607,
expiration date 08/31/2022) with
updated survey instruments for school
year (SY) 2021–2022. This study will
collect data from State agencies and
public school food authorities (SFAs),
including disaggregated administrative
data and data on the continued use and
effectiveness of the CN COVID–19
waivers.
DATES
: Written comments must be
received on or before June 21, 2021.
ADDRESSES
: Comments may be sent to:
Holly Figueroa, Food and Nutrition
Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture,
1320 Braddock Pl, 5th floor, Alexandria,
VA 22314. Comments may also be
submitted via fax to the attention of
Holly Figueroa at 703–305–2576 or via
email to Holly.Figueroa@usda.gov.
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