Producers of fresh Florida citrus south and east of the Suwanee River have until Nov. 9 to vote on the continuation of Federal Marketing Order 905, Citrus Administrative Committee (CAC) Manager Peter Chaires reported.
“This is an important vote and one that we hope you will take very seriously,” Chaires said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) would consider termination of the order if less than two-thirds of the growers voting and less than two-thirds of the volume represented vote in favor of continuation.
Marketing Order 905 provides:
- Consistent quality standards. The order authorizes grade, size, maturity and quality requirements that help ensure fresh Florida citrus shipped to markets outside the production area meet dependable standards. Consistency protects the reputation of Florida citrus and supports buyer and consumer confidence. This is a grower-driven process. Growers recommend assessment rates, budgets etc.
- Fair treatment of imported grapefruit. Section 8e of the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937 mandates that imported fresh grapefruit meet the same or comparable domestic grade, size, quality and maturity standards enforced by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). When domestic requirements are active, comparable federal requirements apply to imported grapefruit, helping prevent imported products from competing under materially lower minimum standards. While 8e has come under fire in recent years, when grapefruit juice content standards were no longer applied to imports, it is hoped that industry will find a way to restore this tool. Even without juice content, 8e coverage is valuable. It contributes greatly to market stability and fairness.
- Industry coordination. The CAC provides an organized forum for growers to recommend regulations and address common marketing concerns. This structure allows the industry to act collectively while remaining subject to USDA review and oversight.
- Operational flexibility. The order authorizes tools involving packing, container markings, research, promotion, market development and certain volume controls. These authorities can remain available even when particular programs are not active, allowing the industry to respond to future market conditions without creating an entirely new regulatory framework.
- Accountability and producer representation. The CAC is composed of 10 grower members and 10 grower alternates. Members are nominated and supported with a grower vote. The CAC also includes a public member and alternate. Federal supervision, budgeting requirements and periodic producer referenda provide safeguards against unnecessary or unsupported regulation.
Source: CAC
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