Federal Register: December 10, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 237)
DOCID: FR Doc 02-31118
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Farm Service Agency
NOTICE: NOTICES
ACTION: Tobacco inspection:
DOCUMENT ACTION: Notice.
SUBJECT CATEGORY:
Biologically Engineered Low-Nicotine Tobaccos
DOCUMENT SUMMARY:
In a notice published in the Federal Register on May 15, 2002, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) invited comments from the public about whether the biologicallyengineered, lownicotine Burley Tobacco type 31V and related tobaccos should be considered quota or nonquota tobacco. The preponderance of public comments supported these tobaccos being considered nonquota for the 2003 and subsequent crop years. This notice announces that there will be no change to the FSA regulations to include these tobaccos among those which are subject to marketing quota regulations.
SUMMARY:
Burley biologically engineered tobacco,
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
Recently, tobacco that was biologically- engineered to have a low nicotine content became available to producers. The regulations of the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), which classifies tobacco for inspection purposes but does not determine types for FSA's tobacco marketing quota program, provide that certain tobacco which in its cured state has a nicotine content of not more than eighttenths of one percent (8/10 of 1%), oven dry weight, be classified as type 31V, if burley, or type 73, if fluecured. AMS thus classified, for inspection purposes, the biologically engineered tobacco, which fell at or below that nicotine level, as being either type 31V (burley) or, if cured in the same manner as fluecured tobacco, as type 73 (fluecured).
FSA invited the views of interested persons before making any determination on considering biologicallyengineered, lownicotine tobacco as quota or nonquota tobacco. The majority of comments received, which were considered in formulating FSA's decision, support biologicallyengineered, lownicotine tobaccos being considered non quota. Therefore, because current FSA marketing quota regulations include type 31 (burley) and types 1114 (fluecured) as tobacco subject to quotas, but do not include the biologicallyengineered low nicotine tobaccos type 31V or type 73, FSA has determined that there will be no change to the marketing quota regulations. All comments are a matter of public record and may be viewed at the address shown above.
Signed in Washington, DC, on November 27, 2002.
Diane Sharp,
Acting Administrator, Farm Service Agency.
[FR Doc. 0231118 Filed 12902; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 341005P
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
Director, Tobacco Division, FSA, USDA,
1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 5750, STOP 0514, Washington, DC 202500514, by phone at (202)7202715, or email at tob
comments@wdc.fsa.gov.