The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced in a statement that an interim final rule, which changes the date when minimum grade, size, quality and maturity requirements are required for south-eastern California and imported table grapes, will be published in the 21 January 2009 issue of the Federal Register.
The regulatory period is changed from 20 April through 15 August of each year to 10 April through 10 July. This rule will be effective for the 2009 shipping season.
According to the USDA, the change to the beginning date will ensure that imported table grapes marketed in competition with domestic grapes during the regulatory period are subject to the grade, size, quality and maturity requirements of the order.
The change to the ending date realigns the regulatory period with current shipping trends for grapes in the federal order’s production area, the organization added.
Federal Marketing Order 925 regulates the handling of grapes grown in a designated area of south-eastern California (and imported table grapes), and is administered locally by the California Desert Grape Administrative Committee.
Section 8e of the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937 provides authority for the change to the import regulations and specifies that when certain domestically produced commodities are regulated by a federal marketing order, imports of the commodity must meet the same or comparable grade, size, quality and maturity requirements.
This rule also clarifies the maturity (soluble solids) requirements for south-eastern California and imported Flame Seedless variety grapes.
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