Application. Any person may apply to the Director or Chief for service under the regulations with respect to products in which the applicant is financially interested. The application shall be made on a form approved by the Director. In any case in which the service is intended to be furnished at an establishment not operated by the applicant, the application shall be approved by the operator of such establishment and such approval shall constitute an authorization for any employees of the Department to enter the establishment for the purpose of performing their functions under the regulations. The application shall state:

The name and address of the establishment at which service is desired; (2) the name and post office address of the applicant; (3) the financial interest of the applicant in the products, except where application is made by an official of a Government agency in his official capacity; and (4) the signature of the applicant (or the signature and title of his representative). The application shall indicate the legal status of the applicant as an individual, partnership, corporation, or other form of legal entity. Any change in such status, at any time while service is being received, shall be promptly reported to the Director or Chief by the person receiving the service.

Notice of eligibility for service. The applicant for service at any establishment will be notified whether his application is approved.

Request by applicant for service—(1) Noncommitment. Upon notification of the approval on an application for service, the applicant may, from time to time as desired, make oral or written requests for service under the regulations with respect to specific products for which the service is to be furnished under such application. Such requests shall be made at an office for grading either directly or through any employee of the Agricultural Marketing Service who may be designated for such purposes.

Commitment. If desired, the applicant may request to enter into an agreement with the Agricultural Marketing Service for the furnishing of service on a weekly commitment basis, whereby the applicant agrees to pay for 8 hours of service per day, 5 days per week, Monday through Friday, excluding Federal legal holidays occurring Monday through Friday on which no grading and certification services are performed, as provided in § 54.27, and the Agricultural Marketing Service agrees to make an official grader available to perform such service for the applicant. However, the Agricultural Marketing Service reserves the right to use any grader assigned to a plant under such a commitment to perform service for other applicants when, in the opinion of the Chief, the grader is not needed to perform service for the commitment applicant. An applicant who terminates a commitment, and within 1 year after cancellation is granted a new commitment at his request, shall pay for the moving costs actually incurred by the Agricultural Marketing Service to cover the transfer of the grader who will service the applicant's new commitment. If more than one applicant is involved in the reapplication for a canceled meat grading and certification commitment requiring the transfer of the grader, the moving costs will be prorated among the applicants according to each applicant's committed portion of the grader's services. However, the moving costs will be charged only to those applicants who were parties to the previously canceled commitment. An applicant may, for periods of 3 months or less, enter into an agreement by memorandum with the Agricultural Marketing Service for the furnishing of service on a weekly basis. In the latter case, transfer of graders would not be involved and charges will be made in accordance with § 54.27.