§5712 — Title 7 Agriculture | U.S. Code

Summary

Exporters must report weekly to the Secretary of Agriculture about export contracts for certain U.S. farm goods, including wheat and wheat flour, feed grains, oil seeds, cotton, pork, beef, their products, and other commodities the Secretary names. Reports must say the type/class and amount, the marketing year for shipment, and the destination if known. Individual reports stay private, but the Secretary makes and releases a weekly public summary. The Secretary can also ask for information right away and may require daily reports; if daily reports are required, the public summary is released daily. The Secretary may stop or change reporting for a commodity if he finds there is a big domestic or world surplus, exports won’t overly drain domestic supplies, and reporting would hurt sales. Anyone who knowingly fails to report can be fined up to $25,000, jailed up to 1 year, or both. The President may not stop exports under a sales contract signed before a presidential restriction was announced if the contract requires delivery within 270 days after the restriction starts.

Title 7, §5712

Agriculture — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)All exporters of wheat and wheat flour, feed grains, oil seeds, cotton, pork, beef, and products thereof, and other commodities that the Secretary may designate produced in the United States shall report to the Secretary of Agriculture, on a weekly basis, the following information regarding any contract for export sales entered into or subsequently modified in any manner during the reporting period:

(A)type, class, and quantity of the commodity sought to be exported;

(B)the marketing year of shipment; and

(C)destination, if known.

(2)Individual reports shall remain confidential but shall be compiled by the Secretary and published in compilation form each week following the week of reporting.

(3)All exporters of agricultural commodities produced in the United States shall, upon request of the Secretary, immediately report to the Secretary any information with respect to export sales of agricultural commodities and at such times as the Secretary may request. When the Secretary requires that such information be reported by exporters on a daily basis, the information compiled from individual reports shall be made available to the public daily.

(4)The Secretary may, with respect to any commodity or type or class thereof during any period in which the Secretary determines that—

(A)there is a domestic supply of such commodity substantially in excess of the quantity needed to meet domestic requirements,

(B)total supplies of such commodity in the exporting countries are estimated to be in surplus,

(C)anticipated exports will not result in excessive drain on domestic supplies, and

(D)to require the reports to be made will unduly hamper export sales,

(b)Any person who knowingly fails to make any report required under this section shall be fined not more than $25,000 or imprisoned for not more than 1 year, or both.

(c)Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the President shall not prohibit or curtail the export of any agricultural commodity under an export sales contract—

(1)that is entered into before the President announces an action that would otherwise prohibit or curtail the export of the commodity, and

(2)the terms of which require delivery of the commodity within 270 days after the date of the suspension of trade is imposed,

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Amendment of SectionFor termination of amendment by section 942 of Pub. L. 106–78, see Termination Date of 1999 Amendment note below.

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 602 of Pub. L. 95–501 enacted section 1765b–1 of this title prior to the complete revision of Pub. L. 95–501 by Pub. L. 101–624.

Amendments

2010—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 111–239 substituted “cotton, pork,” for “cotton,”. 1999—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 106–78, §§ 921, 942, temporarily inserted “, beef,” after “cotton” in introductory provisions. See Termination Date of 1999 Amendment note below. 1991—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 102–237, § 327(1), substituted “designate produced” for “designate as produced” in introductory provisions. Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 102–237, § 327(2), struck out “in accordance with subsection (c)” after “shall remain confidential”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Termination Date of 1999 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 106–78 to terminate Mar. 14, 2025, see section 942 of Pub. L. 106–78, set out in a Livestock Mandatory Reporting note under section 1635 of this title.

§5712 Export Reporting and Contract Sanctity