Final Rule Published for Meat Grading Hourly Fee Increase

On July 3, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) posted the final rule in the Federal Register for hourly fees charged for voluntary federal meat grading and certification services performed by the Meat Grading and Certification (MGC) Branch.

This action will adjust the hourly fees to reflect the increased cost of providing service and to ensure that the federal meat grading and certification program operates on a financially self-supporting basis.

The increase will raise the hourly fees charged to users of the MGC services from $45 to $55 for commitment applicants (a user of services who agrees to pay for five continuous 8-hour days) and from $52 to $64 for non-commitment applicants (a user who does not commit to a certain number of service hours). The agency provides voluntary federal meat grading and certification services to 450 businesses, and it is estimated that monthly revenues will increase by $401,000 because of this fee structure adjustment.

Staff contact: Paul Rodgers, 304-647-9981



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