Washington Administrative Code › Title 16 - Agriculture, Department of (See also Titles 24, 60, and 142) › MARKETING ORDERS › Chapter 16-550 - Blueberry › Section 16-550-006 - Marketing order purposes

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
This marketing order is to promote the general welfare of the
				  state and for the purpose of maintaining existing markets or creating new or
				  larger local, domestic, and foreign markets; or increasing production
				  efficiency, ensuring a fair regulatory environment; or increasing per capita
				  consumption of blueberries in Washington state. The Washington state blueberry
				  commodity board is designated by the director to conduct the following programs
				  in accordance with
				  chapter
				  15.65 RCW:
(1) To carry out the purposes of the order,
				the board may provide for a program in one or more of the following areas:
(a) Establish plans and conduct programs for
				marketing, sales, promotion and/or other programs for advertising, sales,
				promotion and/or other programs for maintaining present markets and/or creating
				new or larger markets for blueberries. Such programs shall be directed toward
				increasing the sale of blueberries without reference to any particular brand or
				trade name and shall neither make use of false or unwarranted claims in behalf
				of blueberries nor disparage the quality, value, sale or use of any other
				agricultural commodity. The board may also engage in cooperative efforts in the
				domestic or foreign marketing of blueberries.
(b) Provide for research in the production,
				processing, irrigation, transportation, handling, and/or marketing of
				blueberries and expend the necessary funds for such purposes. Insofar as
				practicable, research shall be carried on by experiment stations of Washington
				State University, but, if in the judgment of the board, said experiment
				stations do not have the facilities for a particular project or if some other
				research agency has better facilities therefor, the project may be carried out
				by other research agencies selected by the board.
(c) Provide by rules for:
(i) Establishing uniform labels and labeling
				requirements for blueberries or any products thereof, requiring producers,
				handlers and other persons to conform to standards for the placing of labels,
				trademarks, insignia or brands on containers or packages: Provided, That all
				licensed blueberry dealers and brokers are entitled to use on the face of their
				product any particular trademark, insignia, brand or label that they may now
				have or will have. That established brands, labels, trademarks or insignias may
				be properly used in selling or commercially disposing of blueberries and
				blueberry products or in offering the same for sale, advertising and/or
				delivering said blueberries or blueberry products;
(ii) Providing for inspection and enforcement
				to ascertain and effectuate compliance.
(d) The board may authorize use of any money
				received and of any persons employed thereunder for legal proceedings, of any
				type and in the name of any person, directed to enforcement of this or any
				other law in force in the state of Washington relating to the prevention of
				unfair trade practices.
(e) Conduct
				programs for the purpose of providing information and education including:
(i) Marketing information and services for
				producers of blueberries for the verification of grades, standards, weights,
				tests, and sampling of quality and quantity of blueberries purchased by
				handlers from affected producers.
(ii) Information and services enabling
				producers to meet their resource conservation objectives.
(iii) Blueberry-related education and
				training.
(f) Subject to
				the provisions of the act, provide information and communicate on matters
				pertaining to the production, irrigation, processing, transportation,
				marketing, or uses of blueberries produced in Washington state to any elected
				official or officer or employee of any agency.