The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced amendments to the federal marketing order regulating raisins grown in California.
The amendments:
- authorize production research;
- establish new nomination procedures for independent grower member and alternate member seats;
- add authority to regulate quality;
- add authority to establish different regulations for different market destinations;
- add the requirement for continuance referenda; and
- remove volume regulation and reserve pool authority from the order.
In a referendum conducted Dec. 4-15, 2017, the amendments were favored by more than 90 percent of the growers voting in the referendum, representing more than 90 percent of the total volume of raisins produced by those voting. To pass, the amendments had to be favored by at least two-thirds of the growers voting in the referendum or at least two-thirds of the volume represented in the referendum. Both criteria were met for each amendment and both were approved.
The final rule amending the marketing order was published in the Federal Register Oct. 26, 2018. The rule will go into effect Nov. 26, 2018.
Information about the marketing order is available on the 989 Raisins page of the AMS website.
Authorized by the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, marketing orders are industry-driven programs that help producers and handlers achieve marketing success by leveraging their own funds to design and execute programs that they would not be able to do individually. The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) provides oversight to 29 fruit, vegetable, and specialty crop marketing orders and agreements, which helps ensure fiscal accountability and program integrity.
More information about federal marketing orders is available on the AMS Marketing Orders and Agreements page or by contacting the Marketing Order and Agreement Division at (202) 720-2491.
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