Justification for Change-Morocco

Justification for Change

EXPORT CERTIFICATE REQUEST FORMS

OMB NO. 0581-0283

Grading and Inspection, General Specifications for Approved Plants and Standards for Grades of Dairy Products (7 CFR Part 58)

March 2015

DA-240 Sanitary Certificate Request

Sanitary Certificate Request adding Morocco

This change of worksheet addresses the addition of a new country to the currently approved OMB No. 0581-0283, Export Health Certificate Request Forms. The action to include new countries as negotiations are completed to this collection through a Justification for Change request was explained in the Supporting Statement which was approved on January 25, 2013.

U.S. exporters export billions of dollars of U.S. dairy products every year. Numerous countries require export certificates issued by the U.S. government to certify to the wholesomeness of these products before they will allow the products into their country. The Dairy Grading Branch of USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service is the designated authority in the U.S. government to issue these certificates for dairy products for human consumption.

These export certificates require information on them that specifically identifies information about the particular consignment. In order for the Dairy Grading Branch to issue a health certificate we must collect the information that will appear on the certificate. From time to time foreign governments change the information that is required on the certificates.

Morocco was accepting our “DA-240 Sanitary Certificate” for dairy products entering Morocco. However, due to changes in their import regulations they now require two additional pieces of information that are not found on the “Sanitary Certificate”. In order to issue an acceptable certificate, the Dairy grading Branch must now collect the new information by adding two new data fields, “25. Date Produced” and “29. Entry Port”, to the currently approved DA-240 Sanitary Certificate Request to create a Sanitary Certificate Request for Morocco.

The revised form will not add to the current burden as exporters have been filling out the DA-240 Sanitary Request Form previously for exports to Morocco. The additional two data fields now required by the Morocco government will not have an impact on the currently approved burden hours or respondents.