All information obtained from such books, records or reports under the Act and this subpart shall be kept confidential by all persons, including employees and former employees of the Board, all officers and employees and all former officers and employees of the Department, and by all officers and all employees and all former officers and employees of contracting agencies having access to such information, and shall not be available to Board members. Only those persons having a specific need for such information in order to effectively administer the provisions of this subpart shall have access to such information. In addition, only such information so furnished or acquired as the Secretary deems relevant shall be disclosed by them, and then only in a suit or administrative hearing brought at the discretion, or upon the request, of the Secretary, or to which the Secretary or any officer of the United States is a party, and involving this subpart. Nothing in this section shall be deemed to prohibit:
7 C.F.R. § 1150.173