The US Department of Agriculture suspends the federal marketing order regulating California dried prunes

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that producers of dried prunes grown in California voted for suspension of the federal marketing order regulating the handling of dried prunes grown in California. The suspension went into effect Aug. 1, 2023, and extends through July 31, 2030. After operating for 18 years without handling regulations, the Prune Administrative Committee recommended that USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) suspend their marketing order. This recommendation was supported unanimously during the committee’s public meeting that was held on March 22, 2023. After reviewing the committee’s recommendation, AMS determined that regulatory suspension with a sunset provision of seven years is appropriate. This seven-year timeframe extends through the end of the 2029-2030 crop year and provides industry sufficient time to assess whether the marketing order’s reinstatement is beneficial. If no recommendation is made by the committee to reinstate ...