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A.  Any marketing order which is issued by the commissioner may contain any or all of the provisions which are prescribed by this Section for regulating, or providing methods for regulating producer marketing, or the handling, or any of the operations of processing or distributing by handlers, of any commodity within this state, but no others.

B.  A marketing order may contain provisions for any grade, size, or quality of a commodity, which may be marketed by producers, or processed, distributed, or otherwise handled within this state during any specified period by any and all persons that are engaged in such producer marketing, processing, distributing, or handling.  Any such limitation shall be applied under a uniform rule which is applicable to all such persons so regulated.

C.  A marketing order may contain provisions for allotting grade, size, or quality of a commodity, which each handler may purchase or acquire from, or handle on behalf of, any and all producers of the commodity, within this state during any specified period under a uniform rule, which is applicable to all handlers that are so regulated.

D.  A marketing order may contain provisions for allotting grade, size, or quality of a commodity, which each handler may process, distribute, or handle within this state under a uniform rule, which is applicable to all handlers that are so regulated, which is based upon the grade, size, or quality of such commodity, of the current season’s crop which each such handler has available for such processing, distribution, or handling, or upon the grade, size, or quality of such commodity, which is so processed, distributed, or handled by each such handler in a prior period which the commissioner finds to be representative.

E.  If the marketing order authorizes, the advisory board may arrange for and operate any necessary facilities for the storing, financing, grading, packing, servicing, processing, preparing for market or selling of any such commodity.  The board shall not, however, engage in commercial warehousing.

F.(1)  A marketing order may contain provisions for the establishment of plans for advertising and sales promotion to maintain present markets or to create new or larger markets for any commodity which is grown in this state, or for the prevention, modification, or removal of trade barriers which obstruct the free flow of any commodity to market.  The commissioner may prepare, issue, administer, and enforce plans for promoting the sale of any commodity.

(2)  Any such plan shall be directed toward increasing the sale of the commodity without reference to any private brand or trade name which is used by any handler with respect to the commodity regulated by the marketing order.

(3)  No advertising or sales promotion program shall be issued by the commissioner which makes use of false or unwarranted claims in behalf of any such product, or disparages the quality, value, sale, or use of any other commodity.

G.  Notwithstanding Paragraph (2) of Subsection F, effective immediately, a marketing order may contain provisions for the establishment of plans for advertising and sales promotion, without reference to any private brand or trade name which is used by any producer or handler in order to maintain present international foreign markets or to create new or larger international foreign markets for any commodity which is grown in this state, provided that effective January 1, 1979, such advertising and sales promotion plans require that each individual commodity package label indicates the commodity is of Louisiana origin in English or other appropriate language.

H.  A marketing order may contain provisions which relate to the prohibition of unfair trade practices.  In addition to the unfair trade practices now prohibited by law, applicable to the processing, distribution, or handling of any commodity within this state, the commission may include in any marketing order which is issued provisions that are designed to correct any trade practice which affects the processing, distributing, or handling of any commodity within this state which the commissioner finds, after a hearing upon the marketing order in which all interested persons are given an opportunity to be heard, is unfair and detrimental to the effectuation of the declared purposes of this Chapter.

I.  A marketing order may contain provisions for carrying on research studies in the production, processing, or distribution of any commodity and for the expenditure of moneys for such purposes.  Production research for the purpose of determining the production, processing, and distribution qualities of perennial agricultural commodities may be established for the period of time necessary, not to exceed ten years to make such determination even though the period of time necessary may extend beyond the term of the marketing order or agreement involved, provided the commissioner finds there is no satisfactory alternative method to accomplish the desired research, and provided further, that the commissioner has determined, after conducting a public hearing as provided for in La. Rev. Stat. 3:3510, and making the necessary findings as required by La. Rev. Stat. 3:3511, that such proposed research project shall be submitted for a vote of those persons being regulated, and, provided further, that valid votes have been cast in any such vote that represent not less than forty percent of the total number of producers of the commodity on record with the department, or not less than forty percent of the total number of handlers of the commodity on record with the department, or not less than forty percent of each of such producers and handlers of such commodity when both are affected; and provided still further that, in any such voting, a favorable vote was cast by not less than sixty-five percent of the total number of such producers, or such handlers, or both, respectively, and that such producers, handlers, or both, respectively, marketed not less than fifty-one percent of the total quantity of such commodity that was marketed in the preceding marketing season by all of the producers, or handlers, or both, respectively, that cast ballots in the vote for the proposed research study.  An advisory board may recommend and the commissioner may approve that the funds necessary for such research be expended by an advisory board annually or allocated in a lump sum and placed in a trust account established by the commissioner for the purpose of ensuring the completion of such project.  In the event a trust fund is established, the commissioner may also appoint a board of trustees to assist the commissioner in the administration of such research project.  In any research in production or processing which is carried on pursuant to this Subsection, the director of the agricultural experiment station at Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College and the advisory board which is provided for in La. Rev. Stat. 3:3512 shall cooperate in selecting the research project which is to be carried on from time to time.  Insofar as practicable, the projects shall be carried out by Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, but if the director and the advisory board determine that the university has no facilities for a particular project, or that some other research agency has better facilities for it, the project may be carried out by any other research agency which is selected by the director and the advisory board.

J.  A marketing order may contain provisions for research studies concerning the health, food, nutritional, therapeutic, dietetic, or such qualities of other food products, for the development of new food products, or for the development of new uses for agricultural products.

K.  A marketing order may contain provisions which establish, or provide authority for establishing, for any commodity, either as such commodity is produced or is delivered by producers to handlers, or as handled or otherwise prepared for market, or as marketed by producers or handlers, an educational program which is designed to acquaint producers, handlers, consumers, or other interested persons with quality improvement and nutritional values, including sanitation practices, procedures, or methods as applied to such commodity.

L.  A marketing order may contain provisions which establish, or provide authority for establishing, and for regulating the permissive use of any official board brand, trade name, or label, or other distinctive designation of grade, quality, or condition, except the grade or quality designations in effect pursuant to state or federal grade standards, for any commodity, whether as such commodity is produced or is delivered by producers to handlers, or as handled or otherwise prepared for market.  The permissive use of any such board brand, trade name, or label or other distinctive designation of quality shall be limited to producers and handlers of the commodity that are participating in the marketing agreement or order, and that are in compliance with its provisions and with any regulation, or rule and regulation, which is adopted under it.  Any official brand or trade name which is established pursuant to this Subsection shall not be construed as a private brand or trade name with respect to La. Rev. Stat. 3:3513(F).

M.(1)  A marketing order may contain provisions to detect, control, prevent damage by, or to eradicate insects, predators, diseases, or parasites with respect to any commodity or group of commodities.  The advisory board may recommend and the commissioner may approve measures to assist in the prevention or reduction of losses to crops or livestock caused by predators, insects, disease or parasite infestations, including the establishment and operation of detection, inspection, spraying, dusting, fumigating, or other control measures.

(2)  For the purposes of this Subsection, (a) assessments established pursuant to La. Rev. Stat. 3:3514 may include an assessment for nonbearing acreage as well as bearing acreage of the commodity affected by such predators, insects, disease, or parasite, and (b) the commissioner may use both the bearing and nonbearing acreage of such commodity as a measure of production for referendum purposes in relation to such assessments.

(3)  As used in this Subsection, “nonbearing acreage” means acreage planted to produce the particular commodity covered by the marketing order during the marketing season on which no quantity of the product is produced for marketing or is anticipated will be produced for market during such marketing season.

N.  Each marketing order shall specify the minimum size crop grown and/or marketed which shall be regulated by the terms of the marketing order.

O.  Price fixing shall be prohibited under the terms of all marketing orders.

Added by Acts 1978, No. 500, §1; Acts 2009, No. 24, §8J, eff. June 12, 2009; Acts 2010, No. 861, §3.