Grain inspectors need to have access to new technology, witnesses told a House Agriculture subcommittee at a hearing Thursday on reauthorization of the U.S. Grain Standards Act.
Much of the law, including mandatory inspection and weighing of exported grain, is permanently authorized, said Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., chair of the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, Risk Management and Credit.
However, some provisions would expire in September, and “a lapse in authorization would disrupt the current grain inspection and weighing process, potentially creating dramatic consequences for the U.S. grain industry,” Scott said.
“Grain inspection has relied on the same basic technology for 100 years as the ag supply chain has become more efficient,” said Kia Mikesh, president of the American Association of Grain Inspection and Weighing Agencies. In addition, “Inspection remains reliant on an ever-shrinking pool of highly trained human inspectors.”
Kevin Donnelly, professor emeritus in Kansas State’s Department of Grain Science and Industry, said advanced imaging technology may be able to provide better results than visual inspections and could help meet future workforce challenges.
Expanded use of technology “might also make careers in grain inspection more attractive to young people, if their focus can be first on the interest in technology, rather than tedious inspections or crawling around taking samples on top of a barge,” he said.
The professor noted that Federal Grain Inspection Service personnel “pass rigorous tests and undergo extensive continuing training to ensure inspection accuracy,” but that it’s “a very challenging and tedious process. Many of them become very good at it and can well transition into a grain inspection position, but still, very few of them aspire to do that.”
Other witnesses also said that FGIS needs to be given more flexibility to grant waivers from inspections in emergency situations.
Nicholas Friant, director for raw material quality & regulatory at Cargill, spoke on behalf of the National Grain and Feed Association.
It’s easy to be “in the know” about what’s happening in Washington, D.C. Sign up for a FREE month of Agri-Pulse news! Simply click here
“Let me be clear, U.S. industry strongly supports the requirement for mandatory official inspection weighing of export grain,” he said, calling it “fundamental to preserving and the credibility of our supply chain.”
However, during natural disasters or other force majeure events, “or in rare instances where buyers and sellers mutually agree to waive inspection due to service disruptions," the Grain Standards Act “must allow for pragmatic flexibility.” He recommended revisions to the law “to clarify the definition of emergency and authorize FGIS to issue conditional waivers.”
Rep. Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, said she was concerned about the loss of staff at FGIS.
“I'm increasingly concerned about the loss of USDA personnel, both administrative staff and inspectors who have been released or taken deferred resignation,” Brown said. “These holes in staffing risk undermining the most important aspect of the U.S. Grain Standards Act, the relationship between the department and producers on the ground.”
In reauthorizing the Grain Standards Act, “We need to ensure that the USDA is not only equipped to uphold strong standards, but also staff” to maintain relationships with farmers and uphold the standards, she said.
For more news, go to Agri-Pulse.com.
