The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing the temporary suspension of the continuance referendum requirement under the federal marketing order regulating the handling of raisins produced from grapes grown in California.
This action suspends the continuance referendum requirement while USDA conducts formal rulemaking to amend the marketing order. The suspension will remain in place until Nov. 26, 2029.
The final rule was published in the Federal Register on Jan. 23, 2024. An interim final rule was published in the Federal Register on Oct. 16, 2023. AMS received one comment in support of the rule. Accordingly, no changes were made from the interim final rule to the final rule published.
More information about the marketing order regulating the handling of raisins produced from grapes grown in California is available on the 989 raisins webpage on the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) website.
Authorized by the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, marketing orders are industry-driven programs that help producers and handlers achieve marketing success by leveraging their own funds to design and execute programs that they would not be able to do individually. AMS provides oversight to fruit, vegetable and specialty crops marketing orders and agreements to help ensure fiscal accountability and program integrity.
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