October 2023
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on August 29 that Florida citrus producers voted to amend the citrus marketing order. These changes come with recent industry consolidations and reduced production. All four amendments passed with over 97% approval.
According to the USDA, a marketing order is a self-imposed order for the agricultural producers in a specific industry. This assessment provides an outlet for collaboration from stakeholders in the industry to solve market problems. The Florida citrus marketing order was established in 1939 and consists of quality requirements, packaging standards, and the outline of the Citrus Administrative Committee.
The first of the four amendments approved to reduce the size of the committee to ten members. Before these changes, the committee had eighteen members consisting of nine growers, eight shippers and one member to represent the public. These members serve to discuss and authorize regulations regarding packaging, quality and volume of citrus.
The second amendment changes the process for selection of committee members by moving the deadline of selection from June to April. Additionally, it removes the requirement of shipper members on the committee. The committee will now be made up of nine grower members and one public representative.
The third amendment changes the number of members needed for quorum from ten members to seven. Consequently, this also reduces the necessary votes to pass committee actions from eight votes to six.
The last amendment allows the committee to accept voluntary financial and promotional contributions from domestic sources in order to improve research and enhance collaboration with other organizations.
These changes will aid the Citrus Administrative Committee to set quality regulations more efficiently before the end of the harvesting season. Citrus production season typically runs from September through June. This will go into effect after publication in the Federal Register on a later date.
For more information visit 905 Florida Citrus.