Tyson, AMI, others challenge legality to charge export fee

摘要

USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service will be in violation of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) and the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA) if it moves forward with its proposed plan to charge meat and poultry exporters a fee for using a new electronic export certification system, several industry groups say.In a proposed rule published in January (www.fsis . usda. gov/OPPDE/rdad/ FRPubs/2009-0026.htm), FSIS says it wants to charge a fee for use of a new component of the Public Health Information System (PHIS) that would provide an electronic certification for meat and poultry products heading overseas. This electronic certificate would allow exporting companies and importing brokers with the ability to track the shipment in transit (see FCN Feb. 3, 2012, Page 18). Exporters who choose to stick with the current paper-based system would be allowed to do so without paying the fee, which the agency estimates would be $27.91 per electronic certification application submitted to PHIS.