PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

People and businesses that sign a marketing agreement, and handlers covered by a marketing order, must give the Secretary of Agriculture any information the Secretary asks for to check how the agreement or order is working. The Secretary will set the report forms. To verify reports or get missing data, the Secretary can examine books, records, tax returns, accounts, contracts, letters, and other documents controlled by the party, anyone who controls them, or their subsidiaries. Most information given to the Secretary must be kept secret by USDA staff. It may only be shared in a lawsuit or administrative hearing about the marketing agreement or order, or when the United States is a party. Milk-related information can be released if the regulated milk handler allows it. The Secretary must notify the Senate and House agriculture committees at least 10 legislative days before releasing producer names and addresses and explain why. The Secretary may publish general summaries that do not identify people, and may name anyone who violates an agreement or order and say what was broken. USDA officers who illegally disclose information can be fined up to $1,000, jailed up to one year, or both, and removed from office. If a cranberry order exists, the Secretary may require handlers and importers to report acquisitions, inventories, and sales of cranberries and cranberry products, may delegate that work to the order’s committee, and the same confidentiality rules and penalties apply.

Title 7, §608d

Agriculture, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(1)All parties to any marketing agreement, and all handlers subject to an order, shall severally, from time to time, upon the request of the Secretary, furnish him with such information as he finds to be necessary to enable him to ascertain and determine the extent to which such agreement or order has been carried out or has effectuated the declared policy of this chapter and with such information as he finds to be necessary to determine whether or not there has been any abuse of the privilege of exemptions from the antitrust laws. Such information shall be furnished in accordance with forms of reports to be prescribed by the Secretary. For the purpose of ascertaining the correctness of any report made to the Secretary pursuant to this subsection, or for the purpose of obtaining the information required in any such report, where it has been requested and has not been furnished, the Secretary is authorized to examine such books, papers, records, copies of income-tax reports, accounts, correspondence, contracts, documents, or memoranda, as he deems relevant and which are within the control (1) of any such party to such marketing agreement, or any such handler, from whom such report was requested or (2) of any person having, either directly or indirectly, actual or legal control of or over such party or such handler or (3) of any subsidiary of any such party, handler, or person.

(2)Notwithstanding the provisions of section 607 of this title, all information furnished to or acquired by the Secretary of Agriculture pursuant to this section, as well as information for marketing order programs that is categorized as trade secrets and commercial or financial information exempt under section 552(b)(4) of title 5 from disclosure under section 552 of such title, shall be kept confidential by all officers and employees of the Department of Agriculture and only such information so furnished or acquired as the Secretary deems relevant shall be disclosed by them, and then only in a suit or administrative hearing brought at the direction, or upon the request, of the Secretary of Agriculture, or to which he or any officer of the United States is a party, and involving the marketing agreement or order with reference to which the information so to be disclosed was furnished or acquired. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, any such information relating to a marketing agreement or order applicable to milk may be released upon the authorization of any regulated milk handler to whom such information pertains. The Secretary shall notify the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives not later than 10 legislative days before the contemplated release under law, of the names and addresses of producers participating in such marketing agreements and orders, and shall include in such notice a statement of reasons relied upon by the Secretary in making the determination to release such names and addresses. Nothing in this section shall be deemed to prohibit (A) the issuance of general statements based upon the reports of a number of parties to a marketing agreement or of handlers subject to an order, which statements do not identify the information furnished by any person, or (B) the publication by direction of the Secretary, of the name of any person violating any marketing agreement or any order, together with a statement of the particular provisions of the marketing agreement or order violated by such person. Any such officer or employee violating the provisions of this section shall upon conviction be subject to a fine of not more than $1,000 or to imprisonment for not more than one year, or to both, and shall be removed from office.

(3)Collection of cranberry inventory data.—

(A)In general.—

If an order is in effect with respect to cranberries, the Secretary of Agriculture may require persons engaged in the handling or importation of cranberries or cranberry products (including producer-handlers, second handlers, processors, brokers, and importers) to provide such information as the Secretary considers necessary to effectuate the declared policy of this chapter, including information on acquisitions, inventories, and dispositions of cranberries and cranberry products.

(B)Delegation to committee.—

The Secretary may delegate the authority to carry out subparagraph (A) to any committee that is responsible for administering an order covering cranberries.

(C)Confidentiality.—

Paragraph (2) shall apply to information provided under this paragraph.

(D)Violations.—

Any person who violates this paragraph shall be subject to the penalties provided under section 608c(14) of this title.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Act Aug. 24, 1935, struck out provisions of section 8(4) of act May 12, 1933, formerly appearing in section 608(4) of this title and added a new section 8d containing provisions appearing in text.

Amendments

1999—Subsec. (3). Pub. L. 106–78 added subsec. (3). 1985—Subsec. (2). Pub. L. 99–198, § 1663(1), extended confidentiality requirement to include information for marketing order programs that is categorized as trade secrets and commercial or financial information that is exempt from disclosure under section 552 of title 5. Pub. L. 99–198, § 1663(2), inserted provisions directing that confidential information relating to a marketing agreement or order applicable to milk may be released upon the authorization of any regulated milk handler to whom such information pertains and that the Secretary notify the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives not later than 10 legislative days before the contemplated release under law, of the names and addresses of producers participating in such marketing agreements and orders, and include in such notice a statement of reasons relied upon by the Secretary in making the determination to release such names and addresses.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Release of Information Pub. L. 103–111, title VII, § 715, Oct. 21, 1993, 107 Stat. 1079, provided that: “Hereafter, none of the funds available to the Department of Agriculture may be expended to release information acquired from any handler under the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, as amended [see section 674 of this title]: Provided, That this provision shall not prohibit the release of information to other Federal agencies for

Enforcement

purposes: Provided further, That this provision shall not prohibit the release of aggregate statistical data used in formulating

Regulations

pursuant to the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, as amended: Provided further, That this provision shall not prohibit the release of information submitted by milk handlers.” Similar provisions were contained in the following prior appropriation acts: Pub. L. 102–341, title VII, § 721, Aug. 14, 1992, 106 Stat. 908. Pub. L. 102–142, title VII, § 728, Oct. 28, 1991, 105 Stat. 914. Pub. L. 101–506, title VI, § 630, Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat. 1349. Pub. L. 101–161, title VI, § 630, Nov. 21, 1989, 103 Stat. 985. Pub. L. 100–460, title VI, § 630, Oct. 1, 1988, 102 Stat. 2262. Validity of Section AffirmedAct June 3, 1937, affirmed and validated, and reenacted without change the provisions of this section. See note set out under section 601 of this title.

§608d Books and Records