Agricultural Marketing Service July 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim final rule that changed the handling requirements applicable to well matured fruit covered under the nectarine and peach marketing orders (orders). The interim final rule updated the lists of commercially significant varieties subject to size regulations under the orders. The interim final rule was necessary to revise the regulations for the current marketing season, which began in April.

This rule proposes to amend the Blueberry Promotion, Research, and Information Order (Order) to increase the assessment rate on producers and importers who produce or import more than 2,000 pounds of highbush blueberries annually from $12 per ton to $24 per ton. The increase provided under the Order is authorized by the Commodity Promotion, Research, and Information Act of 1996 (Act). The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (Council) which administers the Order recommended this action to expand their promotional activities and add an advertising component to bridge the potential gap between highbush blueberry demand and future supply. Furthermore, the Council recommended to use the additional revenue to strengthen existing consumer, food service, and food manufacturer publicity; to expand their health research; to develop an educational campaign on good management practices and food safety within the United States as well as internationally.

This rule would increase the assessment rate established for the Washington-Oregon Fresh Prune Marketing Committee (Committee) for the 2009-10 and subsequent fiscal periods from $1.00 to $2.00 per ton for fresh prunes. The Committee is responsible for local administration of the marketing order regulating the handling of fresh prunes grown in designated counties in Washington and in Umatilla County, Oregon. Assessments upon handlers of fresh prunes are used by the Committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The fiscal period for the marketing order begins April 1 and ends March 31. The assessment rate would remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended or terminated.

This document summarizes the results of an Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) review of the Peanut Promotion, Research, and Information Order (Order), under the criteria contained in Section 610 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act. Based upon its review, AMS has determined that the Peanut Promotion, Research, and Information Order should be continued without change.

This rule proposes a new U.S. honey producer funded research and promotion program under the Commodity Promotion, Research, and Information Act of 1996 (1996 Act). The proposed U.S. Honey Producer Research, Promotion and Consumer Information Order (Proposed U.S. Producer Order) was submitted to the Department of Agriculture (Department) by the American Honey Producers Association (AHPA). The Department proposes that an initial referendum be conducted to ascertain whether the persons to be covered by and assessed under the Proposed U.S. Producer Order favor the Order prior to it going into effect. The Proposed U.S. Producer Order would provide that producers pay an assessment to the U.S. Honey Producer Board (Proposed Board) at the rate of $0.02 cents per pound of U.S. honey produced and shall only be imposed on U.S. producers. A producer who produces less than 100,000 pounds of U.S. honey per year would be eligible for a certificate of exemption.

This interim final rule would establish a new regulation