Dried Prunes Produced in California; Temporary Suspension of the Prune Reserve and the Voluntary Producer Prune Plum Diversion Provisions

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim final rule suspending the prune reserve and the voluntary producer prune plum diversion provisions in the California Dried Prune Marketing Order (order) and the administrative rules and regulations related to volume control restrictions for a five-year period. The order regulates the handling of dried prunes produced in California and is administered locally by the Prune Marketing Committee (PMC). Suspension of these provisions ensures that volume control restrictions will not be implemented under the order. During the five-year suspension period, the industry will have the opportunity to determine whether these provisions should be modified, terminated, or continue unchanged. In the absence of additional rulemaking to modify or terminate these provisions, they will come back into effect automatically at the end of the five-year period.