USDA Adds Pork to Export Sales Reporting Requirements, Requests Additional Comments on Distillers Dried Grains

WASHINGTON, March 19, 2013 – Beginning today, all exporters of U.S. pork will begin reporting weekly export sales to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). The data will allow USDA to issue weekly export sales reports to the public, allowing for information on the total volume of pork export sales and shipments to be available within two weeks of the activity, rather than the two month period customary to exports as reported by the U.S. Bureau of the Census. More frequent reporting will improve market transparency and enable the pork commodity market to better adjust to changing export activity.  

The Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 requires the reporting of exports of certain commodities and gives the Secretary of Agriculture the authority to include others.  Recent amendments to that act mandated the addition of pork as a commodity for which export reporting is required. A final rule published in today’s Federal Register amends the Export Sales Reporting (ESR) requirements to add pork to the list of commodities covered by the program, including wheat and wheat flour, feed grains, oilseeds, cotton, rice, cattle hides and skins, and beef. View the final rule here: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-03-19/html/2013-06086.htm.

Exporters will report the quantity, destination, and marketing year of all pork export sales totaling one metric ton or greater, including certain changes in previously reported sales. Exports of U.S. pork have nearly doubled from fiscal years 2007 to 2012. In fiscal year 2012, exports of U.S. pork and products reached more than 2.2 million tons. 

In addition, a proposed rule was also published in today’s Federal Register seeking public comment on the addition of distillers dried grain (DDG) as a reportable commodity under the ESR requirements. View the proposed rule here: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-03-19/html/2013-06084.htm.

The addition of DDG as a reportable commodity is being proposed under the discretionary authority provided to the Secretary of Agriculture to include additional commodities under the ESR requirements.

All comments concerning the proposal to add DDG to the ESR requirements must be submitted on or before April 18 to Peter W. Burr, Branch Chief, Export Sales Reporting Branch, Import Policies and Export Reporting Division, Office of Trade Programs, Foreign Agricultural Service, 1400 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington D.C. 20250-1021, STOP 1021; by email at pete.burr@fas.usda.gov; or by telephone at (202) 720-3274; or fax to (202) 720-0876. Persons with disabilities who require an alternative means for communication of information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s Target Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). 

A summary of the “U.S. Export Sales” report is published on the FAS website at http://www.fas.usda.gov/export-sales/esrd1.html, each Thursday at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. 

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