Pool plant means a plant, unit of plants, or system of plants as specified in paragraphs (a) through (f) of this section, or a plant specified in paragraph (j) of this section, but excluding a plant specified in paragraph (h) of this section. The pooling standards described in paragraphs (c) through (f) of this section are subject to modification pursuant to paragraph (g) of this section:

(a) A distributing plant, other than a plant qualified as a pool plant pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section or §__.7(b) of any other Federal milk order, from which during the month 30 percent or more of the total quantity of fluid milk products physically received at the plant (excluding concentrated milk received from another plant by agreement for other than class I use) are disposed of as route disposition or are transferred in the form of packaged fluid milk products to other distributing plants. At least 25 percent of such route disposition and transfers must be to outlets in the marketing area. Plants located within the marketing area that meet the 30 percent route disposition standard contained above, and have combined route disposition and transfers of at least 50 percent into Federal order marketing areas will be regulated as a distributing plant in this order.

(b) Any distributing plant located in the marketing area which during the month processed at least 30 percent of the total quantity of fluid milk products physically received at the plant (excluding concentrated milk received from another plant by agreement for other than Class I use) into ultra-pasteurized or aseptically-processed fluid milk products.

(c) A supply plant from which the quantity of bulk fluid milk products shipped to, received at, and physically unloaded into plants described in paragraph (a) or (b) of this section as a percent of the Grade A milk received at the plant from dairy farmers (except dairy farmers described in §1033.12(b)) and handlers described in §1000.9(c), as reported in §1033.30(a), is not less than 40 percent of the milk received from dairy farmers, including milk diverted pursuant to §1033.13, subject to the following conditions:

(1) Qualifying shipments pursuant to this paragraph may be made to the following plants, except whenever the authority provided in paragraph (g) of this section is applied to increase the shipping requirements specified in this section, only shipments to pool plants described in §1033.7(a) and (b), shall count as qualifying shipments for the purpose of meeting the increased shipments:

(i) Pool plants described in §1033.7(a) and (b);

(ii) Plants of producer-handlers;

(iii) Partially regulated distributing plants, except that credit for such shipments shall be limited to the amount of such milk classified as Class I at the transferee plant.

(2) The operator of a supply plant located within the marketing area may include deliveries to pool distributing plants directly from farms of producers pursuant to §1033.13(c) as up to 90 percent of the supply plant's qualifying shipments. Handlers may not use shipments pursuant to §1033.13(c) to qualify plants located outside the marketing area.

(3) Concentrated milk transferred from the supply plant to a distributing plant for an agreed-upon use other than Class I shall be excluded from the supply plant's shipments in computing the supply plant's shipping percentage.

(4) Shipments used in determining qualifying percentages shall be milk transferred or diverted and physically received by pool distributing plants, less any transfers or diversions of bulk fluid milk products from such pool distributing plants.

(5) A supply plant that does not meet the minimum delivery requirements specified in this paragraph to qualify for pool status in the current month because a distributing plant to which the supply plant delivered its fluid milk products during such month failed to qualify as a pool plant pursuant to paragraph (a) or (b) of this section shall continue to be a pool plant for the current month if such supply plant qualified as a pool plant in the 3 immediately preceding months.

(d) A plant located in the marketing area and operated by a cooperative association if, during the months of December through July 30 percent, during the month of August 35 percent and during the months of September through November 40 percent or more of the producer milk of members of the association is delivered to a distributing pool plant(s) or to a nonpool plant(s) and classified as Class I. Deliveries for qualification purposes may be made directly from the farm or by transfer from such association's plant, subject to the following conditions:

(1) The cooperative requests pool status for such plant;

(2) The 30 percent delivery requirement for the months of December through July may be met for the current month or it may be met on the basis of deliveries during the preceding 12-month period ending with the current month.

(3) The plant is approved by a duly constituted regulatory authority to handle milk for fluid consumption; and

(4) The plant does not qualify as a pool plant under paragraph (a), (b), or (c) of this section or under the similar provisions of another Federal order applicable to a distributing plant or supply plant.

(e) A plant located inside the marketing area which has been a pool plant under this order for twelve consecutive months, but is not otherwise qualified under this paragraph, if it has a marketing agreement with a cooperative association and it fulfills the following conditions:

(1) The aggregate monthly quantity supplied by all parties to such an agreement as a percentage of the producer milk receipts included in the unit during the months of August through November is not less than 45 percent and during the months of December through July is not less than 35 percent;

(2) Shipments for qualification purposes shall include both transfers from supply plants to plants described in paragraph (c)(1) of this section, and deliveries made direct from the farm to plants qualified under paragraph (a) of this section.

(f) A system of supply plants may qualify for pooling if 2 or more plants operated by one or more handlers meet the applicable percentage requirements of paragraph (c) of this section in the same manner as a single plant subject to the following additional requirements:

(1) Each plant in the system is located within the marketing area, or was a pool supply plant for each of the 3 months immediately preceding the effective date of this paragraph so long as it continues to maintain pool status. Cooperative associations may not use shipments pursuant to §1033.9(c) to qualify plants located outside the marketing area;

(2) A written notification to the market administrator listing the plants to be included in the system and the handler that is responsible for meeting the performance requirements of this paragraph under a marketing agreement certified to the market administrator by the designated handler and any others included in the system, and the period during which such consideration shall apply. Such notice, and notice of any change in designation, shall be furnished on or before the 5th working day following the month to which the notice applies. The listed plants included in the system shall also be in the sequence in which they shall qualify for pool plant status based on the minimum deliveries required. If the deliveries made are insufficient to qualify the entire system for pooling, the last listed plant shall be excluded from the system, followed by the plant next-to-last on the list, and continuing in this sequence until remaining listed plants have met the minimum shipping requirements; and

(3) Each plant that qualifies as a pool plant within a system shall continue each month as a plant in the system unless the plant subsequently fails to qualify for pooling, or the responsible handler submits a written notification to the market administrator prior to the first day of the month that the plant is to be deleted from the system, or that the system is to be discontinued. In any month of March through August, a system shall not contain any plant which was not qualified under this paragraph, either individually or as a member of a system, during the previous September through February.

(g) The applicable shipping percentages of paragraphs (c) through (f) of this section may be increased or decreased by the market administrator if the market administrator finds that such adjustment is necessary to encourage needed shipments or to prevent uneconomic shipments. Before making such a finding, the market administrator shall investigate the need for adjustment either on the market administrator's own initiative or at the request of interested parties if the request is made in writing at least 15 days prior to the month for which the requested revision is desired effective. If the investigation shows that an adjustment of the shipping percentages might be appropriate, the market administrator shall issue a notice stating that an adjustment is being considered and invite data, views and arguments. Any decision to revise an applicable shipping percentage must be issued in writing at least one day before the effective date.

(h) The term pool plant shall not apply to the following plants:

(1) A producer-handler as defined under any Federal order;

(2) An exempt plant as defined in §1000.8(e);

(3) A plant located within the marketing area and qualified pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section that meets the pooling requirements of another Federal order, and from which more than 50 percent of its route disposition has been in the other Federal order marketing area for 3 consecutive months;

(4) A plant located outside any Federal order marketing area and qualified pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section that meets the pooling requirements of another Federal order and has had greater route disposition in such other Federal order's marketing area for 3 consecutive months;

(5) A plant located in another Federal order marketing area and qualified pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section that meets the pooling requirements of such other Federal order and does not have a majority of its route distribution in this marketing area for 3 consecutive months or if the plant is required to be regulated under such other Federal order without regard to its route disposition in any other Federal order marketing area;

(6) A plant qualified pursuant to paragraph (c) of this section that also meets the pooling requirements of another Federal order and from which greater qualifying shipments are made to plants regulated under the other Federal order than are made to plants regulated under the order in this part, or the plant has automatic pooling status under the other Federal order.

(i) Any plant that qualifies as a pool plant in each of the immediately preceding 3 months pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section or the shipping percentages in paragraph (c) of this section that is unable to meet such performance standards for the current month because of unavoidable circumstances determined by the market administrator to be beyond the control of the handler operating the plant, such as a natural disaster (ice storm, wind storm, flood), fire, breakdown of equipment, or work stoppage, shall be considered to have met the minimum performance standards during the period of such unavoidable circumstances, but such relief shall not be granted for more than 2 consecutive months.

(j) Any distributing plant, located within the marketing area as described on May 1, 2006, in §1033.2;

(1) From which there is route disposition and/or transfers of packaged fluid milk products in any non-federally regulated marketing area(s) located within one or more States that require handlers to pay minimum prices for raw milk provided that 25 percent or more of the total quantity of fluid milk products physically received at such plant (excluding concentrated milk received from another plant by agreement for other than Class I use) is disposed of as route disposition and/or is transferred in the form of packaged fluid milk products to other plants. At least 25 percent of such route disposition and/or transfers, in aggregate, are in any non-federally regulated marketing area(s) located within one or more States that require handlers to pay minimum prices for raw milk. Subject to the following exclusions:

(i) The plant is described in §1033.7(a) or (b);

(ii) The plant is subject to the pricing provisions of a State-operated milk pricing plan which provides for the payment of minimum class prices for raw milk;

(iii) The plant is described in §1000.8(a) or (e); or

(iv) A producer-handler described in §1033.10 with less than three million pounds during the month of route disposition and/or transfers of packaged fluid milk products to other plants.

(2) [Reserved]

[64 FR 47991, Sept. 1, 1999, as amended at 67 FR 48744, July 26, 2002; 69 FR 34555, June 22, 2004; 70 FR 56112, Sept. 26, 2005; 71 FR 25500, May 1, 2006; 71 FR 28249, May 16, 2006; 77 FR 51695, Aug. 27, 2012]