USDA announces steps to promote cleaner wheat exports

6/22/2000-Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman announced Wednesday 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. The 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 also will request public comments on a proposal to establish an official U.S. standard for maximum dockage levels in exported wheat. 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. GIPSA is expected to publish the proposal in the Federal Register this fall.