§ 602. — Declaration of policy; establishment of price basing period; marketing standards; orderly supply flow; circumstances for continued regulation.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 7USC602]
TITLE 7--AGRICULTURE
CHAPTER 26--AGRICULTURAL ADJUSTMENT
SUBCHAPTER I--DECLARATION OF CONDITIONS AND POLICY
Sec. 602. Declaration of policy; establishment of price basing
period; marketing standards; orderly supply flow; circumstances
for continued regulation
It is declared to be the policy of Congress--
(1) Through the exercise of the powers conferred upon the
Secretary of Agriculture under this chapter, to establish and
maintain such orderly marketing conditions for agricultural
commodities in interstate commerce as will establish, as the prices
to farmers, parity prices as defined by section 1301(a)(1) of this
title.
(2) To protect the interest of the consumer by (a) approaching
the level of prices which it is declared to be the policy of
Congress to establish in subsection (1) of this section by gradual
correction of the current level at as rapid a rate as the Secretary
of Agriculture deems to be in the public interest and feasible in
view of the current consumptive demand in domestic and foreign
markets, and (b) authorizing no action under this chapter which has
for its purpose the maintenance of prices to farmers above the level
which it is declared to be the policy of Congress to establish in
subsection (1) of this section.
(3) Through the exercise of the powers conferred upon the
Secretary of Agriculture under this chapter, to establish and
maintain such production research, marketing research, and
development projects provided in section 608c(6)(I) of this title,
such container and pack requirements provided in section 608c(6)(H)
of this title \1\ such minimum standards of quality and maturity and
such grading and inspection requirements for agricultural
commodities enumerated in section 608c (2) of this title, other than
milk and its products, in interstate commerce as will effectuate
such orderly marketing of such agricultural commodities as will be
in the public interest.
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\1\ So in original. Probably should be followed by a comma.
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(4) Through the exercise of the powers conferred upon the
Secretary of Agriculture under this chapter, to establish and
maintain such orderly marketing conditions for any agricultural
commodity enumerated in section 608c(2) of this title as will
provide, in the interests of producers and consumers, an orderly
flow of the supply thereof to market throughout its normal marketing
season to avoid unreasonable fluctuations in supplies and prices.
(5) Through the exercise of the power conferred upon the
Secretary of Agriculture under this chapter, to continue for the
remainder of any marketing season or marketing year, such regulation
pursuant to any order as will tend to avoid a disruption of the
orderly marketing of any commodity and be in the public interest, if
the regulation of such commodity under such order has been initiated
during such marketing season or marketing year on the basis of its
need to effectuate the policy of this chapter.
(May 12, 1933, ch. 25, title I, Sec. 2, 48 Stat. 32; Aug. 24, 1935, ch.
641, Secs. 1, 62, 49 Stat. 750, 782; June 3, 1937, ch. 296, Secs. 1,
2(b), 50 Stat. 246, 247; Aug. 1, 1947, ch. 425, Sec. 1, 61 Stat. 707;
July 3, 1948, ch. 827, title III, Sec. 302(a), 62 Stat. 1257; Aug. 28,
1954, ch. 1041, title IV, Sec. 401(a), 68 Stat. 906; Pub. L. 87-128,
title I, Sec. 141(1), Aug. 8, 1961, 75 Stat. 303; Pub. L. 89-330,
Sec. 1(a), Nov. 8, 1965, 79 Stat. 1270; Pub. L. 91-292, Sec. 1(1), June
25, 1970, 84 Stat. 333.)
Amendments
1970--Subsec. (3). Pub. L. 91-292 inserted authority to establish
and maintain the production research, marketing research, and
development projects provided in section 608c(6)(I) of this title.
1965--Subsec. (3). Pub. L. 89-330 inserted ``such container and pack
requirements provided in section 608c(6)(H) of this title''.
1961--Subsec. (5). Pub. L. 87-128 added subsec. (5).
1954--Subsec. (4). Act Aug. 28, 1954, added subsec. (4).
1948--Subsec. (1). Act July 3, 1948, made definition of ``parity''
conform to definition stated in section 1301(a)(1) of this title.
1947--Subsec. (3). Act Aug. 1, 1947, added subsec. (3).
1937--Act June 3, 1937, inserted ``orderly marketing conditions for
agricultural commodities in interstate commerce as will establish''
before ``as the prices to farmers''.
1935--Subsec. (1). Act Aug. 24, 1935, ch. 641, Sec. 1, amended first
sentence and act Aug. 24, 1935, ch. 641, Sec. 62, amended second and
third sentences.
Subsec. (2). Act Aug. 24, 1935, amended subsec. (2).
Effective Date of 1948 Amendment
Amendment by act July 3, 1948, effective Jan. 1, 1950, see section
303 of act July 3, 1948, set out as a note under section 1301 of this
title.
Validity of Section Affirmed
Section 1 of act June 3, 1937, affirmed and validated, and reenacted
without change the provisions of this section except for the amendment
to subsec. (1) by section 2 of said act. See note set out under section
601 of this title.
Section Referred to in Other Sections
This section is referred to in sections 608c, 609, 672, 673, 1392 of
this title.
