An Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer

Agricultural

Marketing

Service 

Federal Grain Inspection 

Service

Field Management 

Division 

1400 Independence Ave. 

SW, Stop 3630

Washington, D.C. 20250

Voice (202) 720-0228

Fax (202) 690-3951

Hotline 1-800-998-3447

Reference #286 September 1, 2021

TO: FGIS POLICY BULLETIN BOARD

FROM: Anthony Goodeman, Director

 Field Management Division 

SUBJECT: Hop Submitted Sample Certificate Inspection Revision

ORIGINATING OFFICE: Policies, Procedures, and Market Analysis Branch

1. PURPOSE

This memorandum provides guidance for issuing a submitted 

samplecertificate inspection for Hops.

2. BACKGROUND

The Hop Inspection Handbook prohibits a submitted sampleinspection 

certificate from showing, “...directly or indirectly, thegrower’s lot 

number, the number of bales, carrier identification, or theorigin of 

the hop”. No other commodity under the purview of theFederal Grain 

Inspection Service (FGIS) has a similar prohibition.Hops industry 

stakeholders expressed to FGIS that permitting hopsquality certificates 

to show growers lot number information wouldfacilitate inspection, 

which would further facilitate moving the hopsbales into storage, thus 

preserving quality.

3. POLICY

Effective immediately, the following policy is implemented with 

regardto submitted sample inspection certificates for Hops:

a. A submitted sample inspection certificate must show the results

of an inspection for quality of hop based on a sample 

submittedby an applicant. An inspection for quality may include 

kind,class, grade, factor analysis, equal-to-type, or any other 

qualitydesignation as defined in the standards or instructions.
Page 2

b. Each submitted sample inspection certificate must show 

that the results of the inspection apply only to the sample 

describedby the certificate and not to the lot from which the sample 

mayhave been taken.

c. A submitted sample may be identified by the applicant bysample 

number, producer’s name, letters of the alphabet, or any other 

identification, including a lot or carrier identifier. If a submitted 

sample is not adequately identified, the inspector may assign a 

number to the sample or request the applicant to assign a number 

or other identifier to the sample.

Note: No submitted sample inspection certificate remarks 

will be issued that shows, directly or indirectly, the number of 

bales or the origin of the hop. The applicant can provide a lot 

identification with these identifiers, but official personnel may 

not attest to number of bales or origin in any official remarks, 

since official personnel did not obtain the sample.

The Hop Inspection Handbook, Section 4.3, Submitted Sample 

Certificate Inspection, will be revised to reflect this revised policy.

 4. FILING INSTRUCTIONS

File a copy of this memo with the Hop Inspection Handbook until 

the handbook is revised to include this change. Field office 

 managersmust ensure that a copy of the memorandum is available to 

official agencies operating within their circuit.

 5. QUESTIONS

 Direct any questions regarding this procedure to the local field office or 

 to AMS - FGIS Policies Procedures and Market Analysis Branch.