[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 248 (Wednesday, December 27, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66956-66957]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-31277]



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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
[Docket No. LS-95-015]


Notice of Request for Extension and Revision of a Currently 
Approved Information Collection

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 
U.S.C. Chapter 35), this notice announces the Agricultural Marketing 
Service's (AMS) request for comments from the livestock and meat 
industry to improve or change the procedures for collecting information 
used to compile and generate the Federally Inspected Estimated Daily 
Slaughter Report.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before February 26, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Jimmy A. Beard; Assistant to the Chief; Livestock and Grain 
Market News Branch, Livestock and Seed Division, AMS-USDA, Room 2623 
South Building, P.O. Box 96456, Washington, D.C. 20090-6456.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jimmy A. Beard, (202)720-1050. 

[[Page 66957]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    Title: Plan for Estimating Daily Livestock Slaughter Under Federal 
Inspection.
    OMB Number: 0581-0050.
    Expiration Date of Approval: 04-30-96.
    Type of Request: Extension and revision of a currently approved 
information collection.
    Abstract: Estimated daily livestock slaughter estimates are 
provided at the request of industry and are used to make production and 
marketing decisions. Slaughter information which is obtained from 
individual packers is confidential. Divulging individual information 
would provide competitors with an economic advantage.
    The Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1621), section 
203(g) directs and authorizes the collection and dissemination of 
marketing information including adequate outlook information, on a 
market area basis, for the purpose of anticipating and meeting consumer 
requirements aiding in the maintenance of farm income and to bring 
about a balance between production and utilization.
    The Daily Estimated Livestock Slaughter Under Federal Inspection 
Report is used by a wide range of industry contacts, including packers, 
processors, producers, brokers, and retailers of meat and meat 
products. The livestock and meat industry requested that USDA issue 
slaughter estimates (daily and weekly), by species, for cattle, calves, 
hogs, and sheep in order to assist them in making immediate production 
and marketing decisions and as a guide to the volume of meat in the 
marketing channel. The information solicited from respondents includes 
their estimation of the current day's slaughter at their plant(s) and 
the actual slaughter for the previous day.
    The industry could not collect the information themselves as they 
would not want to divulge their information to competitors, and 
exchange of such information between competitors would violate 
antitrust laws. Consequently, the information must be collected, 
compiled, and disseminated by an impartial third party, in a manner 
which protects the confidentiality of the reporter. Industry has grown 
to depend on the slaughter information for assistance to make marketing 
and production decisions. Also, since the Government is a large 
purchaser of meat, a system to monitor the collection and reporting of 
data is needed.
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average .01667 hours per response.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit, individuals or 
households, farms, Federal Government.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 77.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 260.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 854 hours.
    Copies of this information collection can be obtained from Jimmy A. 
Beard, Livestock and Grain Market News Branch, at (202)720-1050.
    Send comments regarding the accuracy of the burden estimate, ways 
to minimize the burden, including through the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology, or any 
other aspect of this collection of information, to: Jimmy A. Beard, 
Assistant to the Chief, Livestock and Grain Market News Branch, 
Livestock and Seed Division, AMS-USDA, Room 2623 South Building, P.O. 
Box 96456, Washington, D.C. 20090-6456.
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for OMB approval. All comments will also become a matter of 
public record, and will be made available at the address above, during 
regular business hours.
    Dated: December 18, 1995.
Lon Hatamiya,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 95-31277 Filed 12-26-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P