U.S. Senate Passes Grain Standards Reauthorization Act Amended by NGFA
The U.S. Senate has passed the U.S. Grain Standards Reauthorization Act of 2020. This passage reauthorizes the act for another five years and improves the inspection and weighing system by increasing transparency, information sharing, and improved data.
The Senate Agriculture Committee approved the bill in June of this year, after a hearing to reauthorize the legislation in 2019 during which Bruce Sutherland, the president of Michigan Agricultural Commodities Inc., and a member of the USDA’s Grain Inspection Advisory Committee, testified on behalf of the NGFA.
In a letter written June 23, the NGFA and the North American Export Grain Association (NAEGA) expressed their support to reauthorize all expiring provisions for another five years, including:
Requiring delegated state agencies to notify users of official inspection or weighing services at least 72 hours in advance of any intent to discontinue such services;
Ensuring FGIS user fees are directed solely to inspection and weighing services;
Reporting requests for waivers, exceptions, and intrinsic quality and food safety factors received and granted by FGIS, among other points.
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