The American Soybean Association (ASA) joined other major U.S. farm organizations in supporting reauthorization of the U.S. Grain Standards Act (USGSA) at a hearing before the House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management on April 22.  Key provisions of the USGSA are due to expire at the end of September 2015, including authorization of appropriations, Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) authority to charge fees for supervising export inspection by state agencies and the Grain Inspection Advisory Committee.

In addition to supporting reauthorization, ASA, American Farm Bureau Federation, National Corn Growers Association and National Council of Farmer Cooperatives are considering a proposal by the National Grain and Feed Association and the North American Export Grain Association. The proposal would authorize licensing of third-party “emergency official service providers” that could be requested to perform official inspection and weighing services if a state agency cannot or refuses to do so, and if FGIS does not restore service within six hours.

This provision is a response to the disruption of export shipments that occurred at the Port of Vancouver last July when, due to a strike by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, the Washington State Department of Agriculture suspended inspections and FGIS failed to intervene.  The full House Agriculture Committee expects to mark-up reauthorization legislation in the next few weeks.