USA: Walnuts Grown in California
This proposed rule by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plans amendments to Marketing Order No. 984 (Order), which regulates the handling of walnuts grown in California.
The California Walnut Board, which locally administers the Order, recommended amendments that would:
- eliminate mandatory inspection and certification of in-shell and shelled walnuts, and of shelled walnuts for processing;
- create a new mechanism for determining and collecting handler assessments;
- add authority to charge interest for late payments;
- establish an assessment rate of $0.0125 per in-shell pound of walnuts;
- expand the definition of “to handle” to include “receive”;
- and remove volume control authority.
The deadline for written exceptions is November 25, 2022.