| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | CONTACT: Kimberly Merenz |
| July 26, 2007 | (406) 444-3730 |
USDA Proposes Doubling Fees for Export Certificates
HELENA, Mont. — User fees for export certification of plants and plant products would increase significantly under a proposal published recently by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
Fees for inspection and certification of commercial shipments to other countries would increase later this year to $99 from the current price of $50 per shipment, under the USDA proposal. In Montana, the proposed fee increase would affect producers that require export certificates for shipments including tree seed, nursery stock, potatoes, barley, wheat, cherries, legumes and pulse crops such as peas and lentils.
Notice of the proposed increases in the Federal Register indicated that USDA's fees for inspection and export certification have not changed since 1996 and do not cover program expenses. A $16 fee to pay for USDA administrative costs also would be added when inspections are performed by state officials under state-federal cooperative agreements.
The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is accepting comments on the proposal on its website at www.regulations.gov. The Montana Department of Agriculture encourages affected producers to study the proposal and comment by the August 13, 2007, deadline.
For more information about the state nursery program, contact Kimberly Merenz or Michele Mettler at (406) 444-3730 or by e-mail at agr@mt.gov.
