Assessment Rate for Domestically Produced Peanuts Handled by Persons Not Subject to Peanut Marketing Agreement No. 146 and for Marketing Agreement No. 146 Regulating the Quality of Domestically Produced Peanuts

The Department of Agriculture (Department) is adopting as a final rule, without change, the provisions of an interim final rule that established an assessment rate for the Peanut Administrative Committee (Committee) under Marketing Agreement No. 146 (agreement) for the 1996-97 and subsequent crop years. The Committee is responsible for local administration of the marketing agreement which regulates the handling of peanuts grown in 16 States. Authorization to assess peanut handlers who have signed the agreement enables the Committee to incur expenses that are reasonable and necessary to administer the program. Public Law 103-66 requires the Department to impose an administrative assessment on farmers' stock peanuts received or acquired by handlers who are not signatory (non-signatory handlers) to the agreement. Therefore, this same assessment rate established under the agreement also must be applied to all non-signatory handlers.