Decree 177 Letter

The USDA’s Foreign Agriculture Service has finalized the drafting of a letter and list of U.S. grain export facilities for submission to AQSIQ officials regarding U.S. industry compliance with Decree 177. The letter and facility list was drafted in close coordination with U.S. government agencies and industry through the Decree 177 Working Group, of which NAEGA is a member. The list of U.S. export grain facilities is the U.S. Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration’s (GIPSA) publicly available list of grain export facilities compiled by GIPSA on a yearly basis. Registration on this list is required by U.S. law for all U.S. export grain facilities that export more than 15,000 metric tons of grain per year.

In addition to the submission of this list, FAS has requested consultations with AQSIQ by a team of U.S. experts on the grain trade, including the U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), GIPSA, FAS and U.S. grain industry representatives. Opening up of this dialog will further understanding of the requirements of Decree 177 on the U.S. grain export system.

Submission of the facility list and request for consultations with AQSIQ are the first steps in broadening industry and U.S. government’s understanding AQSIQ’s requirements under Decree 177 in order to ensure U.S. industry compliance.

A copy of the letter and facility list can be found here and here. For more information about Decree 177 and the efforts of the working group please visit the members only section of the NAEGA website, www.naega.org, or contact Gary or Ryan.