Dried Prunes Produced in California; Undersized Regulation for the 1998-99 Crop Year

This final rule changes the undersized regulation for dried prunes received by handlers from producers and dehydrators under Marketing Order No. 993 for the 1998-99 crop year. The marketing order regulates the handling of dried prunes produced in California and is administered locally by the Prune Marketing Committee (Committee). This rule removes the smallest, least desirable of the marketable size dried prunes produced in California from human consumption outlets, and allows handlers to dispose of undersized prunes in such outlets as livestock feed. The Committee estimated that this rule will reduce the calculated excess of about 78,000 tons of dried prunes expected at the end of the 1997-98 crop year by approximately 7,300 tons, leaving sufficient prunes to fulfill foreign and domestic trade demand.