U.S. dairy import quota license fee for 2009 set at $150

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service will assess a $150 fee for each dairy tariff-rate import quota license issued in 2009.

Licenses are issued on a calendar year basis, and each license authorizes the holder to import a specified quantity and type of dairy product from a specified country of origin. Both USDA and Customs and Border Protection monitor license usage.

USDA assesses the license fee to cover the cost of administering the program, which is estimated to be $360,000 for 2009. The number of licenses expected to be issued next calendar year is 2,400.