94-6945. Vidalia Onions Grown in Georgia; Revision of Handler Reporting Requirements  

  • [Federal Register Volume 59, Number 57 (Thursday, March 24, 1994)]
    [Unknown Section]
    [Page 0]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 94-6945]
    
    
    [[Page Unknown]]
    
    [Federal Register: March 24, 1994]
    
    
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    DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
    Agricultural Marketing Service
    
    7 CFR Part 955
    
    [Docket No. FV93-955-2FIR]
    
     
    
    Vidalia Onions Grown in Georgia; Revision of Handler Reporting 
    Requirements
    
    AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.
    
    ACTION: Final rule.
    
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    SUMMARY: The Department of Agriculture (Department) is adopting as a 
    final rule, without change, the provisions of an interim final rule 
    that revised the administrative rules and regulations established under 
    the Federal marketing order for Vidalia onions grown in Georgia. The 
    interim final rule relaxed the reporting requirements on handlers by 
    expanding the period of coverage of the report for receipts and 
    shipments of onions from one week to one month. This is the only form 
    handlers are required to file with the Vidalia Onion Committee 
    (Committee). The reduction in the reporting burden on handlers will not 
    adversely impact program operations. This rule is based on a unanimous 
    recommendation of the Committee, which is responsible for local 
    administration of the order.
    
    EFFECTIVE DATE: April 25, 1994.
    
    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shoshana Avrishon, Marketing 
    Specialist, Marketing Order Administration Branch, Fruit and Vegetable 
    Division, AMS, USDA, Room 2536-S, P.O. Box 96456, Washington, DC 20090-
    6456; telephone (202) 720-3610, or FAX (202) 720-5698; or William G. 
    Pimental, Marketing Specialist, Southeast Marketing Field Office, Fruit 
    and Vegetable Division, AMS, USDA, P.O. Box 2276, Winter Haven, Florida 
    33883-2276; (813) 299-4770, or FAX (813) 299-5169.
    
    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This final rule is issued under Marketing 
    Agreement and Order No. 955 [7 CFR Part 955] regulating the handling of 
    Vidalia onions grown in Georgia. The marketing agreement and order are 
    authorized by the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, as 
    amended [7 U.S.C. 601-674], hereinafter referred to as the Act.
        The Department is issuing this rule in conformance with Executive 
    Order 12866.
        This rule has been reviewed under Executive Order 12778, Civil 
    Justice Reform. This rule is not intended to have retroactive effect. 
    This rule will not preempt any state or local laws, regulations, or 
    policies, unless they present an irreconcilable conflict with this 
    rule.
        The Act provides that administrative proceedings must be exhausted 
    before parties may file suit in court. Under section 8c(15)(A) of the 
    Act, any handler subject to an order may file with the Secretary a 
    petition stating that the order, any provision of the order, or any 
    obligation imposed in connection with the order is not in accordance 
    with law and requesting a modification of the order or to be exempted 
    therefrom. A handler is afforded the opportunity for a hearing on the 
    petition. After a hearing the Secretary would rule on the petition. The 
    Act provides that the district court of the United States in any 
    district in which the handler is an inhabitant, or has his or her 
    principal place of business, has jurisdiction in equity to review the 
    Secretary's ruling on the petition, provided a bill in equity is filed 
    not later than 20 days after date of entry of the ruling.
        Pursuant to requirements set forth in the Regulatory Flexibility 
    Act (RFA), the Administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service 
    (AMS) has considered the economic impact of this rule on small 
    entities.
        The purpose of the RFA is to fit regulatory actions to the scale of 
    business subject to such actions in order that small businesses will 
    not be unduly or disproportionately burdened. Marketing orders issued 
    pursuant to the Act, and rules issued thereunder, are unique in that 
    they are brought about through group action of essentially small 
    entities acting on their own behalf. Thus, both statutes have small 
    entity orientation and compatibility.
        There are approximately 145 handlers of Vidalia onions that are 
    subject to regulation under the marketing order and approximately 250 
    producers in the production area. Small agricultural service firms are 
    defined by the Small Business Administration [13 CFR 121.601] as those 
    whose annual receipts are less than $3,500,000, and small agricultural 
    producers have been defined as those having annual receipts of less 
    than $500,000. The majority of the Vidalia onion handlers and producers 
    may be classified as small entities.
        This rule finalizes an interim final rule which revised 
    Sec. 955.101 of Subpart -- Administrative Rules and Regulations and is 
    based on a unanimous recommendation of the Committee and other 
    available information.
        Previously under Sec. 955.101, Report of Shipments, handlers were 
    required to provide the Committee with information regarding the volume 
    of Vidalia onions received and shipped during each week of the shipping 
    season. The normal shipping season for cured Vidalia onions runs from 
    April through June, approximately 12 weeks. In addition, green Vidalia 
    onions usually are shipped beginning in January of each year. Handlers 
    were required to provide this information to the Committee each week. 
    The Committee provided a form to assist handlers in providing this 
    information. The information required included the name and address of 
    handler, the period covered for the report, the total weekly receipts 
    of Vidalia onions and the total fresh market shipments of Vidalia 
    onions.
        The Committee needs such information for the purpose of computing 
    and collecting assessments, which are necessary to finance the program. 
    When the reporting requirement was first implemented, the Committee 
    believed that the best method for obtaining the necessary information 
    was to require handlers to report to the Committee the volume of fresh 
    market shipments at the end of each week during the harvesting and 
    shipping season.
        The Committee also uses the information from the reports in 
    planning and evaluating market development activities and recommending 
    production research projects. This information is also made available 
    to the industry on a composite basis to aid growers and handlers in 
    planning their individual operations and making marketing decisions 
    during the season. At the time of implementation, the reporting burden 
    was estimated to be five minutes for a handler to complete each weekly 
    report.
        The Committee was experiencing problems in receiving the reports on 
    a timely basis from many handlers. Many of the handlers not reporting 
    were smaller grower-handlers (2 to 10 acres) who only operate two or 
    three weeks of the year and do their bookkeeping at the end of the 
    season. During the harvest season, these small handlers, mostly family-
    run operations, are very busy and have complained that weekly reporting 
    is burdensome to them. These reports are used by the Committee in 
    calculating the assessments owed by each handler. Thus, it is important 
    that the reports be filed on a timely basis. Because many handlers 
    filed reports late, the Committee experienced difficulty in collecting 
    all assessments. The Committee expended much time and effort in 
    identifying and locating these handlers. In addition, handlers who 
    filed their reports on a timely basis complained to the Committee that 
    others were not being assessed.
        The Committee met on August 28, 1993, to discuss these complaints 
    and reporting problems and unanimously recommended revising the 
    administrative rules and regulations by expanding the period of 
    coverage of the reports to be filed from one week to one month. This 
    reduced the number of reports filed on an annual basis from 
    approximately 24 to approximately 6. Prior to the issuance of the 
    interim final rule, the reporting process for the 24-week period 
    expended approximately 203 reporting hours annually. The interim final 
    rule reduced the reporting hours to approximately 93, a reduction of 
    110 hours on an annual basis.
        The Committee also recommended that the report be required to be 
    filed no later than seven days after the end of each month.
        The Committee believed that its recommendation would decrease the 
    reporting burden on handlers by eliminating unnecessary reporting while 
    still providing the Committee with the information it needs to properly 
    administer the order. The interim final rule brought the reporting 
    requirements into conformance with current industry operating practices 
    and provided an acceptable time frame for the submission of reports.
        The Committee believed that this relaxation would enable the small 
    family-run operations to file reports and pay assessments on a timely 
    basis, and reduce the time and effort the Committee expends on locating 
    handlers who have not filed reports.
        The Committee expressed concern about the effect monthly reporting 
    will have on their marketing efforts. The weekly reporting provided a 
    good source of information that was used in their marketing decisions. 
    It was determined that the monthly reporting will provide sufficient 
    information to assist the Committee in its marketing efforts and if any 
    problems arise at a later date, alternate sources of obtaining this 
    information on a weekly basis can be explored. The Committee continues 
    to believe, at this time, that it is more important to ensure that all 
    handlers are properly filing reports with the Committee and paying 
    assessments that are due on a timely and equitable basis.
        The interim final rule was published in the Federal Register on 
    January 13, 1994, [59 FR 1894]. That rule amended Sec. 955.101 of the 
    rules and regulations in effect under the order. That rule provided a 
    30-day comment period which ended February 14, 1994. No comments were 
    received.
        Based on the above, the Administrator of the AMS has determined 
    that this final rule will not have a significant economic impact on a 
    substantial number of small entities.
        The information collection requirements contained in these 
    regulations have been previously approved by the Office of Management 
    and Budget (OMB) and have been assigned OMB Control Number 0581-0160.
        After consideration of all relevant information presented, 
    including the Committee's unanimous recommendation and other 
    information, it is found that finalizing the interim final rule, 
    without change, will tend to effectuate the declared policy of the Act.
    
    List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 955
    
        Marketing agreements, Onions, Reporting and recordkeeping 
    requirements.
    
        For the reasons set forth in the preamble, 7 CFR part 955, is 
    amended as follows:
    
    PART 955--VIDALIA ONIONS GROWN IN GEORGIA
    
        Accordingly, the interim final rule amending 7 CFR part 955 which 
    was published at 59 FR 1894, on January 13, 1994, is adopted as a final 
    rule without change.
    
        Dated: March 17, 1994.
    Robert C. Keeney,
    Deputy Director, Fruit and Vegetable Division.
    [FR Doc. 94-6945 Filed 3-23-94; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 3410-02-P
    
    
    

Document Information

Published:
03/24/1994
Department:
Agricultural Marketing Service
Entry Type:
Uncategorized Document
Action:
Final rule.
Document Number:
94-6945
Dates:
April 25, 1994.
Pages:
0-0 (1 pages)
Docket Numbers:
Federal Register: March 24, 1994, Docket No. FV93-955-2FIR
CFR: (1)
7 CFR 955.101