2025/2026 RATES FOR USDA AMS AUDITING AND INSPECTION SERVICES

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced the 2025/2026 rates it will charge for voluntary grading, inspection, certification, auditing, and laboratory services for a variety of agricultural commodities including meat and poultry, fruits and vegetables, eggs, dairy products, rice, cotton, and tobacco. The 2025/2026 regular, overtime, holiday, and laboratory services rates will be applied at the beginning of the crop year, fiscal year, or as required by law depending on the commodity.

The Federal Register notice that published on April 29, 2025, establishes the rates for user-funded programs based on costs incurred by AMS. This year, cost-based analyses indicated the need to increase certain user fee rates when current rates are insufficient to cover the costs of providing the service. While cost-saving measures have and will continue to be implemented, user fee rate increases are necessary to offset rising operational costs. In cases where current rates are sufficient to cover the costs of providing the service, user fee rates remain unchanged.

The updated fee schedule will go into effect on October 1, 2025. WSDA has initiated rulemaking to implement these changes. For more information, please contact your local Specialty Crops Inspection Division office.

2025/2026 AMS Service Rates