The Vermont Statutes Online
The Statutes below include the actions of the 2025 session of the General Assembly.
NOTE: The Vermont Statutes Online is an unofficial copy of the Vermont Statutes Annotated that is provided as a convenience.
Subchapter
003
:
AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY MARKETING BOARDS
(Cite as: 6 V.S.A. § 253a)
-
§ 253a. Vermont agricultural commodity marketing boards
(a) The Secretary may at his or her initiative, or upon receipt of a petition from producers
of a particular agricultural commodity, propose a marketing rule. Any petition shall
be signed by at least 100 of the producers who would be affected by the rule or at
least 25 percent of all the producers of the commodity in question, whichever is less.
(b) After determining that a valid petition has been filed, the Secretary shall prepare
and mail a proposed marketing rule. After an opportunity for a hearing, the Secretary
shall conduct a referendum of the affected producers. The marketing rule shall be
approved by at least 51 percent of the eligible producers who participate in the referendum
before it may be adopted.
(c) Any marketing rule established under this section shall create a commodity marketing
board to be appointed by the Secretary. This board shall be made up of persons nominated
by producers of the affected agricultural commodity and a representative of the Secretary.
The rule shall establish the number of members of the commodity marketing board, not
to exceed seven, and shall provide for their terms of office. Commission members shall
be reimbursed in the same manner as members of the board.
(d) Any marketing rule established under this section may contain all the same terms and
conditions as a rule established under section 253 of this title. Any commodity marketing board established under this section shall have all the
same powers and duties as the Apple Marketing Board, with respect to the affected
commodity.
(e) Once a marketing rule has been established, it can be amended or terminated at any
time by the applicable commodity marketing board after approval by 51 percent of the
voting eligible producers. In addition, 25 percent or more of the eligible producers
may petition to have a marketing rule amended or terminated after approval of not
less than 51 percent of producers participating in a referendum vote. (Added 1993, No. 73, § 1, eff. June 10, 1993; amended 2003, No. 42, § 2, eff. May 27, 2003; 2021, No. 105 (Adj. Sess.), § 54, eff. July 1, 2022.)