Milk in the Northeast and Other Marketing Areas; Recommended Decision and Opportunity To File Written Exceptions on Proposed Amendments to Tentative Marketing Agreements and to Orders

요약

This decision recommends changes to Federal milk orders based on the record of a hearing held May 8-12, 2000, to consider proposals submitted by the industry to change the pricing formulas included in the final rule for the consolidation and reform of Federal milk orders and on comments filed in response to a tentative final decision issued November 29, 2000. The proceeding was undertaken in response to a Congressional mandate included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2000, to reconsider the Class III and Class IV pricing formulas. The material issues on the record of the hearing relate to the elements of the Class III and Class IV pricing formulas, including: commodity prices, manufacturing (make) allowances, factors related to product yield, role of producer costs of production, and the issue of whether to omit a recommended decision. After issuance of the tentative final decision, approval of the proposed order amendments by producers, and issuance of an interim final rule, some of the provisions of the interim final rule were enjoined by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. This decision considers comments filed in response to the tentative final decisio