USDA Upping Grading Fees

WASHINGTON - Jul 24/02 - SNS -- The USDA wants to increase fees for certain grading services for eggs, poultry and rabbits.

The proposal would raise the basic hourly rate for resident service, or work of a grader with a regular tour of duty at a plant, from the current $31.52 to $33.36. In addition, the proposal would raise the basic hourly rate for fee service, or work on an intermittent, as-needed basis, from the current $54.40 to $57.68 for regular hours and from $62.76 to 66.64 for weekend and holiday work.

Additionally, for plants using resident service, the administrative fee for USDA supervision and for other overhead expenses will increase from 4.6 cents to 4.8 cents per case of shell eggs and from .036 cents to .037 cents per pound of poultry handled. For poultry and eggs, the minimum administrative fee will rise from $250 to $260 per monthly billing period, and the maximum fee will rise from $2,650 to $2,675. The minimum administrative fee for grading rabbits will remain unchanged at $260 per monthly billing period.

These grading services are made available upon request and paid for by the users. Current fees have been in effect since Jan. 1, 2002.

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