USDA Prepares to Terminate Federal Marketing Order for Cranberries
USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service has terminated Federal Marketing Order No. 929, which regulates the handling of cranberries grown in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington and New York's Long Island, according to a notice of the final rule published July 12 in the Federal Register. The change becomes effective July 31.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
According to the notice, AMS had held a continuance referendum among cranberry producers June 9-30, 2023, to determine if they favored continuation of the program. Of the ballots cast, 73.5% of cranberry growers, who produced 79.9% of the production volume, voted in favor of terminating the program. The vote met the order's criteria for termination, demonstrating a lack of the producer support needed to carry out the objectives of the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act, the notice said.
The final rule also eliminates provisions of the marketing order that required collection of information from importers. However, those regulations had been indefinitely suspended since 2006.