Title 7, Title 7

All containers of birch syrup sold or offered for sale for human consumption must be labeled with the volume, name and address of the producer or packer, together with the producer's or packer's seal in a manner approved by the commissioner on the cap of the container, which must…

A person may not sell or offer for sale in any place or serve in any hotel, restaurant or other public eating place any birch sugar, birch confection or candy or birch syrup or any product labeled or represented as such that is in any way combined, interfused or diluted with cane…

The commissioner shall enforce this subchapter. The commissioner or the commissioner's designee must have free access to any place or building, store, gift shop or any other building where birch syrup or birch syrup products are packed, stored, transported, sold or offered or exp…

A person who violates any of the provisions of this subchapter commits a civil violation for which the following fines may be adjudged: [PL 2021, c. 43, §1 (NEW).] 1. First violation. For the first violation, a fine not to exceed $100; and 2. Subsequent violations. For each subse…

1. Exposed for sale. Potatoes packed in any type or kind of container, and found in any place in the State of Maine, whether that place shall be a depot, station, warehouse, packing house, boat dock or any place where potatoes are held in storage, or loaded on a boat, truck, trai…

The Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry is authorized and empowered, after holding public hearings in a manner consistent with the Maine Administrative Procedure Act, to establish and promulgate official definitions and standards for grading, or classifying, pa…

A person may not plant seed potatoes in the State, the product of which is intended for sale, in lots of one or more acres unless that seed is certified in accordance with rules adopted by the commissioner. These rules may include without limitation requirements for filing report…

To achieve compliance with official standards, the commissioner may adopt, consistent with this Article and with section 402, a fee schedule for inspection of potatoes. The potato inspection fee schedule may provide for a lower inspection rate for any person who is packing potato…

It is unlawful for any person, firm, association, organization or corporation, or agent, representative or assistant to any person, firm, association, organization or corporation to expose for sale, or sell, at wholesale or retail, to ship, deliver or consign or have in possessio…

Notwithstanding section 952, it shall be unlawful for any person, firm, association, organization or corporation to expose for sale or sell at full sale or retail, to ship, deliver or consign, or have in possession potatoes prepared for market in containers which bear any stateme…

No provisions of sections 951 to 957 shall be construed to prevent a grower or shipper of potatoes from selling or delivering the same within the State unpacked, or selling his crop in bulk, or any part thereof, to a packer for grading, packing or storage within the State; nor sh…

Whenever the commissioner or his duly authorized representative shall find from inspection, as authorized in section 956, that potatoes are being sold, exposed for sale, or shipped for sale in containers, and the containers bear any statements, design or device regarding such pot…

Certified seed potatoes as defined by chapter 401 are exempted from sections 951 to 957, except as may otherwise be promulgated by the commissioner.

The commissioner shall diligently enforce all of the provisions of sections 951 to 957. The commissioner, either in person or by a duly authorized representative, has free access, ingress and egress to any place or field or any building, boat, truck, trailer, railroad car, wareho…

Any person, firm or corporation who violates any of the provisions of sections 952 to 957 or to Article 4 or neglects or refuses to comply with any of the provisions required therein or in any way violates any of those provisions shall be subject to warning and to civil penalties…

In enforcing this Article, the commissioner or any other duly authorized representative shall be considered law enforcement officers only for purposes of service of process consistent with Title 17-A, section 17, subsection 1.

As used in this article, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings. [PL 2013, c. 403, §2 (NEW).] 1. Board. "Board" means the Maine Potato Board established in Title 36, section 4603. 2. Committee. 3. Fund. "Fund" means the Potato Mark…

The board shall administer the fund.

1. State loans. State loans are subject to the following conditions. A. No state loan for any project under this article, the total cost of which exceeds $150,000, may exceed 45% of the project cost and no state loan may be provided for such a project unless the applicant demonst…

All or any portion of the interest earned or accruing on the cash balance of the Potato Marketing Improvement Fund may be used for grants to partially or fully fund research projects to study and assess technical problems experienced with new and retrofitted storage facilities an…

The board shall maintain or arrange for the maintenance of an office in Aroostook County located in a town most convenient to the largest number of potential users of the fund. This office must be staffed by one or more business development specialists primarily responsible for w…

There is established a Potato Marketing Improvement Fund Operating Account. This account draws funds from the fund on a periodic basis to be determined by the board to cover the costs of administering the fund and any grants made.

Sections 991 to 994 may be known and cited as the "Maine Potato Marketing Act."

The purposes of sections 991 to 994 are: [RR 1999, c. 2, §8 (COR).] 1. Correlate marketing. To enable potato producers of this State, with the aid of the State, more effectively to correlate the marketing of their potatoes with market demands therefor; 2. Uniform grading. To prov…

As used in sections 991 to 994, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings. [RR 1999, c. 2, §9 (COR).] 1. Committee. 2. Consumer pack. "Consumer pack" means a unit of less than 50 pounds new weight of potatoes contained in a bag, crate…

The commissioner shall administer and enforce sections 991 to 994 and has and may exercise any or all of the administrative powers conferred upon the head of a department of the State. In order to effectuate the declared purposes of said sections, the commissioner is authorized t…