The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is indefinitely suspending the reporting and assessment requirements for the marketing order regulating the handling of Irish potatoes grown in Washington.
The Washington potato industry utilized federal marketing order handling regulations until 2014, when it chose to suspend mandatory inspection services on product in interstate commerce. In June 2020, the Washington Potato Committee voted to terminate Marketing Order No. 946 and to suspend the collection of handler reports and assessments in the interim.
A proposed rule concerning this action was published in the Federal Register on Oct. 13, 2020 with a 60-day public comment period ending on Dec. 14, 2020.
This action applies to the federal marketing order regulating potatoes grown in Washington state. The final rule published in the Federal Register on Feb. 24, 2021, and goes into effect March 26, 2021.
More information about the marketing order regulating the handling of Irish potatoes grown in Washington is available on the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) 946 Washington Potatoes webpage, the AMS Marketing Orders and Agreements webpage or by contacting the Marketing Order and Agreement Division at (202) 720-2491.
Authorized by the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, marketing orders are industry-driven programs that help fruit, vegetable and specialty crop producers and handlers achieve marketing success by leveraging their own funds to design and execute programs that they would not be able to do individually. AMS provides oversight to 29 fruit, vegetable and specialty crop marketing orders and agreements, which helps ensure fiscal accountability and program integrity.
