For purposes of this chapter:
(a) "Commission" means the Agriculture Commission of South Carolina.
(b) "Department" means the Department of Agriculture of the State of South Carolina.
(c) "Marketing order" means an order issued by the Commission pursuant to this chapter.
(d) "Marketing agreement" means an agreement entered into and issued by the Commission pursuant to this chapter.
(e) "Agricultural commodity" means a distinctive type of agricultural, horticultural, viticultural, floricultural, aquacultural, vegetable, or animal product, either in its natural or processed state. The commission may determine on the basis of common usage and practice what kinds, types, subtypes, or classes may be included together as an agricultural commodity for the purpose of this chapter.
(f) "Production area" and "marketing area" means any geographical area defined as such in any marketing order or agreement. "Affected area" means the geographical marketing or production area so defined in such order or agreement.
(g) "Unit" of an agricultural commodity means a unit of volume, weight, quantity, or other measure in which such commodity is commonly measured. The Commission shall designate in each marketing order and agreement the unit to be used.
(h) "Affected unit" means in the case of marketing agreements and orders drawn on the basis of a production area, any unit of the commodity specified in such agreement or order which is produced in such area and sold or marketed; and "affected unit" means, in the case of marketing agreements and orders drawn on the basis of marketing area, any unit of the commodity specified in such agreement or order which is sold or marketed within such marketing area; provided, that in the case of marketing agreements "affected unit" shall include only those units which are produced by producers who have assented to such agreement.
(i) "Affected commodity" means that part of any agricultural commodity which is covered by any marketing agreement or order, and includes all affected units thereof as herein defined and no others.
(j) "Producer" means any person engaged in the business of producing any agricultural commodity for market in commercial quantities. "Affected producer" means any producer of an affected commodity. "To produce" means to act as a producer.
(k) "Commercial quantities" shall be determined and defined by each commodity group in any proposed marketing order or agreement submitted by such group and shall mean sales or marketing of such products during the course of the most recently completed full season for the affected commodity.
(l) "Handler" means any person who acts, either as a principal, agent, or otherwise, in processing, selling, marketing, or distributing an agricultural commodity which was not produced by him. "Affected handler" means any handler of an affected commodity. "To handle" means to act as a handler. Provided, that such handler shall not include a person engaged in manufacturing from an agricultural commodity, so changed in form, another and different product.
(m) "Producer-handler" means any person who acts both as a producer and as a handler with respect to any agricultural commodity. A producer-handler shall be deemed to be a producer with respect to the agricultural commodities which he produces, and a handler with respect to the agricultural commodities which he handles, including those produced by himself.
(n) "Cooperative association" means any incorporated or unincorporated association of producers which conforms to the qualifications set out in the act of Congress of the United States of February 18 1922, as amended, known as the "Capper-Volstad Act" and which is engaged in making collective sales or in marketing any agricultural commodity or product thereof or in rendering service for or advancing the interests of the producers of such commodity on a nonprofit cooperative basis.
(o) "Member of cooperative association" means any producer who markets his product through such cooperative association and who is a voting stockholder of or has a vote in the control of or is a party to a marketing agreement with such cooperative association with respect to such product.
(p) "Producer marketing" or "marketed by producers" means any operations performed by any producer or cooperative association of producers in preparing for market and marketing, and shall include:
(1) Selling any agricultural commodity produced by such producer to any handler;
(2) Delivering any such commodity or otherwise disposing of it for commercial purposes to or through any handler.
(q) "Retailer" means any person who purchases or acquires any agricultural commodity for resale at retail to the general public for consumption off the premises but such person shall also be included within the definitions of handler as herein set forth, to the extent that he engages in the business of a handler as herein defined.
(r) "Commodity board" means any board established pursuant to Section 46-17-190. "Board" means any such commodity board unless a different board is expressly specified.
(s) "Sell" includes offer for sale, expose for sale, have in possession for sale, exchange, barter, or trade.
(t) "Advertising and sales promotion" means, in addition to the commonly accepted meaning thereof, trade promotion and activities for the removal of trade barriers which restrict the free flow of agricultural commodities to market and may include the negotiations with State, Federal, or foreign governmental agencies on matters which affect the marketing of any commodity included in any marketing order or agreement made effective pursuant to the provisions of this chapter.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 3-235.3; 1968 (55) 2743; 1970 (56) 2289; 1986 Act No. 325, Section 2; 1989 Act No. 120, Section 1, eff May 30, 1989; 1996 Act No. 394, Section 1, eff June 4, 1996.