*EPF412 06/22/00
Text: Agriculture Dept. Requires Cleaner Wheat for Food Aid
(Cleanliness standard for commercial exports considered) (370)

Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman has announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has raised the standard for cleanliness of wheat purchased for U.S. foreign food assistance programs.

In a June 21 press release, the department said it will require that such wheat must contain 0.8 percent or less of all other matter before milling.

The department also requested public comment on a proposal to set a similar standard for U.S. commercial wheat exports.

Following is the text of the press release:

(begin text)

GLICKMAN ANNOUNCES NEW STEPS TO PROMOTE CLEANER WHEAT EXPORTS

WASHINGTON, June 21, 2000 -- Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman today announced two new steps designed to make U.S. wheat more competitive in world markets by encouraging the export of cleaner wheat.

"By tightening standards for USDA purchases and providing incentives for cleaner wheat, we can help improve the quality and value of U.S. wheat around the world," Glickman said.

Glickman said USDA will immediately raise the standard for cleanliness of wheat purchased for U.S. foreign food assistance programs by reducing the level of dockage permitted. Dockage includes all matter other than wheat that must be removed prior to milling the wheat into flour. USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation purchases for government donation programs historically have been at the 1.0 percent dockage level, the level often used for U.S. commercial purchases. USDA will require a dockage level of 0.8 percent or less for future wheat purchases for foreign food assistance. USDA's Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) measures and reports dockage on each export shipment, but the actual level is determined contractually between buyer and seller.

USDA also will request public comments on a proposal to establish an official U.S. standard for maximum dockage levels in exported wheat. GIPSA is expected to publish the proposal in the Federal Register this fall.

The measures announced today were based, in part, on suggestions made by wheat producer organizations in Kansas, Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Nebraska.

(end text)

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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