Proposed 2011 USDA budget increases user fees

The U.S. Department of Agriculture 2011 budget sent to Congress this week includes an increase for the Food Safety and Inspection Service, which would be recouped from increased user fees. The Agriculture Marketing Service received a slight increase in total budget and is anticipated to collect $148M from the Commodities Grading Services Program. An increase in user fees for grading is therefore not anticipated for fiscal 2011.
The budget for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service was lowered by $35M with an approximately 10% reduction in expenditures for avian influenza. Funds for Veterinary Biologics and Diagnostics would increase slightly to $47M. The budget for the Agricultural Research Service would rise by $20M over fiscal 2010 to include $3M for research on preventive measures against infectious diseases of poultry and livestock.
The budget for the Market Access Program was reduced by 20% to $160M and the Foreign Market Development Program was funded at a slightly higher level of $34.5M. The last two allocations relate to export of agricultural commodities and indirectly influence trade.