2011 Vermont Code
Title 06 Agriculture
Chapter 162 AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT
§ 2964 Vermont agricultural products; identification and definition; seal of quality

§ 2964. Vermont agricultural products; identification and definition; seal of quality

(a) A producer or packer of agricultural products produced in Vermont annually may apply to the secretary for an identification label which may be applied to his or her products to indicate that they have been produced in Vermont and have met standards of quality as have been or may be established by the secretary. The person requesting the labels shall annually pay a fee established by the secretary by rule. The applicant shall also pay for the cost of all labels requested.

(b) The agency of agriculture, food and markets may promote with good taste the agricultural products identification program and may sell, or otherwise distribute, promotional articles.

(c) All funds received under this section shall be retained by the agency for administration of the products identification program.

(d) The labels provided for in this section shall be designed and issued by the agency of agriculture, food and markets.

(e) As used in this chapter, "agricultural products" means any product of a farming operation as defined in 10 V.S.A. { 6001(22)(A), (B), (C), (D), and poultry slaughtered and inspected using a mobile processing unit authorized pursuant to subdivision 3305(17) of this title.

(f) The secretary shall annually review the effectiveness of the identification program for increasing the value of Vermont agricultural products.

(g) Third party verification. The secretary may adopt rules to design and implement a third party verification process under which a qualified, independent person or entity shall verify that an agricultural product has been produced or processed in Vermont in compliance with this section and rules adopted by the secretary pursuant to this section, and that the product meets the standards of quality established by the secretary for the product. The secretary shall determine who is responsible for the cost of the required verification. (Added 1975, No. 217 (Adj. Sess.), { 2; amended 1977, No. 18; 1981, No. 179 (Adj. Sess.); 1983, No. 13, { 1; 1987, No. 35; 1987, No. 277 (Adj. Sess.), { 6; 1989, No. 256 (Adj. Sess.), { 10(a), eff. Jan. 1, 1991; 1995, No. 186 (Adj. Sess.), { 6, eff. May 22, 1996; 2003, No. 42, { 2, eff. May 27, 2003; 2007, No. 38, { 12, eff. May 21, 2007; 2007, No. 153 (Adj. Sess.), { 12; 2009, No. 78 (Adj. Sess.), { 6c.)