Honey Board Referendum Vote To Be Held In April
Honey Packers and Importers Research, Promotion, Consumer
Education and Industry Information Order; Continuance Referendum
AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service.
A referendum will be conducted among eligible first handlers and importers of honey or honey products to determine whether they favor continuance of the
Honey Packers and Importers Research, Promotion, Consumer
Education and Industry Information Order (Order). (Commonly known as the Honey Board).
This referendum will be conducted from April 13 through April 24, 2015. To vote in this referendum, first handlers and importers must have handled or imported 250,000 or more pounds of honey or honey products during the representative period from January 1 through December 31, 2014, paid assessments during the
representative period, and must currently be a first handler or importer of honey or honey products subject to assessments.
Ballots must be received by the close of business on April 24,
2015, to be counted. Copies of the Order may be obtained from: Referendum
Agent, Promotion and Economics Division (PED), Fruit and Vegetable Program (FVP), AMS, USDA, Stop 0244, Room 1406-S, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-0244, telephone: (202) 720-9915, facsimile: (202) 205-2800.
Pursuant to the Commodity Promotion, Research and Information Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 7411-7425) (Act), it is hereby directed that a referendum be conducted to ascertain whether continuance of the Order is favored by eligible first handlers and importers of honey or honey products covered under the program. The Order is authorized under the Act. The representative period for establishing voter
eligibility for the referendum shall be the period from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2014. First handlers and importers of 250,000 or more pounds of honey or honey products who have paid assessments during the representative period and are currently first handlers and importers subject to assessments are eligible to vote. Persons who received an exemption from assessments for the entire representative period are ineligible to vote. The referendum shall be conducted by mail ballot from April 13, 2015 through April 24, 2015.
Section 518 of the Act authorizes continuance referenda. Under section 1212.81 of the Order, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (Department) shall conduct a referendum every seven years (the last referenda was conducted in 2008, so this is a scheduled vote), at the request of the Board established in the Order, or when 10 percent or more of the eligible voters petition the Secretary of Agriculture to hold a referendum to determine if persons subject to assessment favor continuance of the Order. The Department would continue the Order if continuance of the Order is favored by a majority of the first handlers and
importers voting in the referendum and a majority of volume voted in the referendum. It has been estimated that there are approximately 40 first handlers and 660 importers who will be eligible to vote in the referendum. It will take an average of 15 minutes for each voter to read the voting instructions and complete the referendum ballot.
The referendum agents will mail the ballots to be cast in the referendum and voting instructions to all known first handlers and importers of 250,000 or more pounds of honey or honey products in the 2014 calendar year, prior to the first day of the voting period. Persons who are eligible first handlers or importers during the representative period and are first handlers or importers at the time of the referendum are eligible to vote. Persons who received an exemption from assessments during the entire representative period are ineligible to vote. Any eligible first handler or importer who does not receive a ballot should contact a referendum agent no later than one week before the end of the voting period. Ballots must be received by a referendum agent, not later than close of business 4:30 p.m. Eastern time, April 24, 2015, in order to be counted.
Examine The Current Honey Board Information At www.honey.com
