ABC 53 Application for Direct Verifiable (DV) Program Auditors

OMB No. 0581-NEW

ABC Form No. 53

ALMOND BOARD OF CALIFORNIA

Direct Verifiable (DV) Program Auditors

Application Form

Pursuant to authority provided in § 981.42 of almond marketing order (order) – 7 CFR Part 981, and as specified in § 981.442(b) of the order’s regulations, handlers must subject their almonds to a treatment process or processes that have been determined to achieve in total a minimum 4-log reduction of Salmonella bacteria. Handlers may treat the almonds prior to shipment, ship untreated almonds labeled as unpasteurized to locations outside the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, or ship untreated almonds labeled as unpasteurized under the DV program to approved manufacturers within the U.S., Canada, or Mexico, who agree to treat the almonds. Such manufacturers are subject to audit by approved DV auditors. The Almond Board of California (Board or ABC) administers the order locally, with oversight by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

In consideration of the approval of this application, the following applicant requests approval as a DV Program Auditor for almonds for __________ (crop year).¹

Date___________________ Company_________________________________________________________

Name____________________________________________________________

Address__________________________________________________________

Telephone (______) _________________Fax (_____) ____________________

Please complete the following (attach a curriculum vitae and additional pages, if needed):

Professional Affiliation(s) and Education:

Length of time as an auditor:

Products/Equipment/Processes for which you have audited:

Experience conducting audits for food industry:

For ABC Use:

Date Received by ABC:	MM/DD/YR
Date Approved by ABC:	MM/DD/YR
Effective for Crop Year:	August 1 – July 31, XXXX
Date DV Auditor Notified of Approval:	MM/DD/YR

The following statements are made in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974 (U.S.C. 552a) and the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The authority for requesting this information to be supplied on this form is the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, Secs. 1-19, 48 Stat. 31, as amended, (7 U.S.C. 601-674). Furnishing the requested information is necessary for the administration of the marketing order program.

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0581-NEW. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

1 Applicant may be an organization or a person. Applications will be reviewed and approved by ABC’s Technical Expert Review Panel (TERP). Should the applicant disagree with TERP’s decision, it may appeal the decision in writing to the Board, and ultimately to USDA.