(a) Regulation. No handler shall acquire or receive natural condition raisins which fail to meet such minimum grade, quality, and condition standards as the Committee may establish, with the approval of the Secretary, in applicable rules and regulations: Provided, That a handler may receive raisins for inspection, may receive off-grade raisins for reconditioning and may receive or acquire off-grade raisins for use in eligible non-normal outlets: And provided further, That a handler may acquire natural condition raisins which exceed the tolerance established for maturity under a weight dockage system established pursuant to rules and regulations recommended by the Committee and approved by the Secretary. Nothing contained in this paragraph shall apply to the acquisition or receipt of natural condition raisins of a particular varietal type for which minimum grade, quality, and condition standards are not applicable or then in effect pursuant to this part.

(b) Changes in minimum grade, quality, and condition standards for natural condition raisins. The Committee may recommend to the Secretary changes in the minimum grade, quality, and condition standards for natural condition raisins of any varietal type and may recommend to the Secretary that minimum grade, quality, and condition standards for any varietal type be added to or deleted. The Committee shall submit with its recommendation all data and information upon which it acted in making its recommendation, and such other information as the Secretary may request. The Secretary shall approve any such change if he finds, upon the basis of data submitted to him by the Committee or from other pertinent information available to him, that to do so would tend to effectuate the declared policy of the Act.

(c) Publicity and notice. The Committee shall give prompt and reasonable publicity to producer, dehydrators, and handlers of each recommendation submitted by it to the Secretary and of each regulation issued by the Secretary. Notice of such regulation shall be given to all handlers by registered or certified mail.

(d) Inspection and certification.

(1) Each handler shall cause an inspection and certification to be made of all natural condition raisins acquired or received by him, except with respect to:

(i) An inter-plant or inter-handler transfer of off-grade raisins as described in paragraph (e)(2) of this section, unless such inspection and certification are required by rules and procedures made effective pursuant to this amended subpart;

(ii) An inter-plant or inter-handler transfer of standard raisins as described in §989.59(e);

(iii) Raisins received from a dehydrator which have been previously inspected pursuant to paragraph (d)(2) of this section;

(iv) Any raisins for which minimum grade, quality, and condition standards are not then in effect;

(v) Raisins received from a cooperative bargaining association which have been inspected and are in compliance with requirements established pursuant to paragraph (d)(3) of this section; and

(vi) Any raisins, if permitted in accordance with such rules and procedures as the Committee may establish with the approval of the Secretary, acquired or received for disposition in eligible non-normal outlets. Except as otherwise provided in this section, prior to blending raisins, acquiring raisins, storing raisins, reconditioning raisins, or acquiring raisins which have been reconditioned, each handler shall obtain an inspection certification showing whether or not the raisins meet the applicable grade, quality, and condition standards: Provided, That the initial inspection for infestation shall not be required if the raisins are fumigated in accordance with such rules and procedures as the Committee shall establish with the approval of the Secretary. The handler shall submit or cause to be submitted to the Committee a copy of such certification, together with such other documents or records as the Committee may require. Such certification shall be issued by inspectors of the Specialty Crops Inspection Division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, unless the Committee determines, and the Secretary concurs in such determination, that inspection by another agency would improve the administration of this amended subpart. The Committee may require that raisins held on memorandum receipt be re-inspected and certified as a condition for their acquisition by a handler.

(2) The Committee may, in accordance with rules and procedures established with the approval of the Secretary, authorize handlers to receive or acquire natural condition raisins which have been produced by any dehydrator by dehydrating grapes by artificial means and have been inspected and certified on his premises. In the event there shall have been compliance with Committee requirements, any handler who receives or acquires such inspected and certificated raisins shall be deemed to have satisfied the requirements contained in paragraph (d)(1) of this section with respect to inspection and certification of natural condition raisins received or acquired by him.

(3) The Committee may, in accordance with rules and the procedures established with the approval of the Secretary, authorize handlers to receive or acquire without further inspection and certification, natural condition raisins, standard or off-grade, which have been inspected, certified and held, in compliance with Committee requirements, at a receiving station of a cooperative bargaining association.

(e) Off-grade raisins.

(1) Any natural condition raisins tendered to a handler which fail to meet the applicable minimum grade, quality, and condition standards may:

(i) Be received or acquired by the handler for disposition, without further inspection, in eligible non-normal outlets;

(ii) Be returned unstemmed to the person tendering the raisins; or

(iii) Be received by the handler for reconditioning. Off-grade raisins received by a handler under any one of the three described categories may be changed to any other of the categories under such rules and procedures as the Committee, with the approval of the Secretary, shall establish. No handler shall ship or otherwise dispose of off-grade raisins which he does not return to the tenderer, transfer to another handler as provided in paragraph (e)(2) of this section, or recondition so that they at least meet the minimum standards prescribed in or pursuant to this amended subpart, except into eligible non-normal outlets.

(2) Off-grade raisins may be transferred from the plant of the handler where received to another plant of his or to that of another handler within the State of California under such rules and procedures as the Committee, with the approval of the Secretary, shall establish to safeguard the objectives of this part.

(3) Each handler shall, while holding any off-grade raisins, store them separate and apart from other raisins and the off-grade raisins shall be stored in accordance with disposition and reconditioning categories. The Committee with the approval of the Secretary may prescribe rules and procedures for the storage of the raisins.

(4) If the handler is to acquire the raisins after they are reconditioned, his obligation with respect to such raisins shall be based on the weight of the raisins (if stemmed, adjusted to natural condition weight) after they have been reconditioned.

(5) The Committee shall establish, with the approval of the Secretary, such additional rules and procedures as may be necessary to insure adequate control of off-grade raisins, including, but not limited to, the reconditioning of off-grade raisins, the disposition and use of unsuccessfully reconditioned raisins, and the disposition and use of residual matter from reconditioning operations.

(f) Blending. No handler shall blend raisins except: (1) Incidental to reconditioning raisins as permitted under rules and procedures established by the Committee, with the approval of the Secretary; (2) blending standard raisins with standard raisins; or (3) blending raisins which meet the minimum grade standards for packed raisins with other raisins which meet such standards.

[25 FR 12813, Dec. 14, 1960, as amended at 29 FR 9483, July 11, 1964; 32 FR 12161, Aug. 24, 1967; 32 FR 18086, Dec. 19, 1967; 42 FR 37201, July 20, 1977; 83 FR 53969, 53973, Oct. 26, 2018]