Revised Code of Washington
Chapter 15.65 - Washington State Agricultural Commodity Boards.
15.65.340 - Agreement and order provisions prohibiting or regulating certain practices.

RCW 15.65.340
Agreement and order provisions prohibiting or regulating certain practices.

Any marketing agreement or order may contain provisions prohibiting and/or otherwise regulating any one or more or all of the practices listed to the extent that such practices affect, directly or indirectly, the commodity which forms the subject matter of such agreement or order or any product thereof, but only with respect to persons who engage in such practices with the intent of or with the reasonably foreseeable effect of inducing any purchaser to become his or her customer or his or her supplier or of otherwise dealing or trading with him or her or of diverting trade from a competitor, to wit:
(1) Paying rebates, commissions, or unearned discounts;
(2) Giving away or selling below the true cost (which includes all direct and indirect costs incurred to the point of sale plus a reasonable margin of mark-up for the seller) any of the affected commodities or of any other commodity or product thereof;
(3) Unfairly extending privileges or benefits (pertaining to price, to credit, to the loan, lease or giving away of facilities, equipment or other property or to any other matter or thing) to any customer, supplier, or other person;
(4) Discriminating between customers, or suppliers of like class;
(5) Using the affected or any other commodity or product thereof as a loss leader or using any other device whereby for advertising, promotional, come-on or other purposes such commodity or product is sold below its fair value;
(6) Making or publishing false or misleading advertising. Such regulation may authorize uniform trade practices applicable to all similarly situated handlers and/or other persons. Such regulation shall not prevent any person (a) from selling below cost to liquidate excess inventory which cannot otherwise be moved, or (b) from meeting the equally low legal price of any competitor within any one trading area during any one trading period and the director may define in said marketing agreement or order said trading area and said trading period in accordance with generally accepted industry practices; but in any event the burden of proving that such selling was to meet the equally low legal price of a competitor or to liquidate said excess inventory shall be upon the person who sells below cost as above defined. Any marketing agreement or order may authorize use of any money received and of any persons employed thereunder for legal proceedings, of any type and in the name of any person, directed to enforcement of this or any other law in force in the state of Washington relating to the prevention of unfair trade practices.

[ 2010 c 8 § 6079; 1961 c 256 § 34.]

Structure Revised Code of Washington

Revised Code of Washington

Title 15 - Agriculture and Marketing

Chapter 15.65 - Washington State Agricultural Commodity Boards.

15.65.010 - Short title.

15.65.020 - Definitions.

15.65.028 - Regulating agricultural commodities—Existing comprehensive scheme.

15.65.033 - Regulating agricultural commodities—Laws applicable.

15.65.040 - Establishing a commodity board—Marketing order—Purposes.

15.65.043 - Board may establish foundation.

15.65.047 - Director's duties and responsibilities—Amendments to marketing orders or agreements without a referendum—Rules.

15.65.050 - Director to enforce and administer chapter—Marketing agreements, orders issued, amended, notice, grounds for amendments.

15.65.060 - Form, filing of marketing agreement, order, amendment, and other proceedings.

15.65.070 - Notice of hearing on proposal—Publication—Contents.

15.65.090 - Subpoenas—Compelling attendance of witnesses, fees—Immunity of witnesses.

15.65.100 - Director's findings and recommended decision, delivery of copies—Taking official notice of facts from other agencies.

15.65.110 - Filing objections to recommended decision—Final decision—Waiver.

15.65.120 - Contents and scope of recommended and final decision—Delivery of copies.

15.65.130 - Agreements binding only on those who assent in writing—Agreement not effective until sufficient signatories to effectuate chapter—When effective.

15.65.140 - Minimum assent requirements prerequisite to order or amendment affecting producers or producer marketing.

15.65.150 - Minimum requirements prerequisite to order or amendment assessing handlers—Assent by producers.

15.65.160 - Ascertainment of required assent percentages.

15.65.170 - Issuance or amendment of marketing order—Assent—Rules.

15.65.175 - Issuing, amending, or terminating a marketing order—Limitation on public hearings or referendums.

15.65.180 - Suspension of marketing agreement or order upon advice of commodity board—Certain prerequisites waived.

15.65.183 - Termination of marketing order or agreement—Petition—Procedure.

15.65.185 - Referendum prior to termination of a marketing order or agreement—Procedure—Exceptions.

15.65.190 - Termination of agreement or order on assent of producers—Procedure.

15.65.193 - When marketing order or agreement is terminated—Duties of affected commodity board.

15.65.200 - Lists of affected parties—Information used to establish lists—Purpose and use.

15.65.203 - Certain records exempt from public disclosure—Exceptions—Actions not prohibited by chapter.

15.65.205 - After any vote, referendum, nomination, or election—Affected parties provided results—Disputes.

15.65.210 - Powers and duties of director with respect to the administration and enforcement of agreements and orders—Administrator—Personnel.

15.65.220 - Commodity boards—Membership—Marketing agreement or order to establish and control—Director votes.

15.65.230 - Qualifications of members of commodity boards.

15.65.235 - Producer-handlers as producers for membership purposes—Exception.

15.65.240 - Terms of members of commodity boards—Elections or appointment.

15.65.243 - When director appoints majority of the board—Nominations—Advisory vote—Notice—Director selects either of two candidates receiving the most votes.

15.65.250 - Nominations for election to commodity board—When only one nominee.

15.65.260 - Election of members of commodity board—Procedure.

15.65.270 - Vacancies, quorum, compensation, travel expenses of commodity board members and employees.

15.65.280 - Powers and duties of commodity board—Reservation of power to director.

15.65.283 - Members may belong to association with same objectives—Contracts with other associations authorized.

15.65.285 - Restrictive provisions of chapter 43.19 RCW not applicable to promotional printing and literature of commodity boards.

15.65.287 - Commission's plans, programs, and projects—Director's approval required.

15.65.289 - Commission speaks for state—Director's oversight.

15.65.290 - Claims and liabilities, enforcement against organization—Personal liabilities of officials, employees, etc.

15.65.295 - Lists of all affected producers and handlers—Affected parties responsible for accuracy—Use of lists.

15.65.300 - Agreement or order to contain detailed statement of powers and purposes.

15.65.305 - Promotional hosting expenditures—Rules.

15.65.310 - Advertising, sale, trade barrier, claim, etc., provisions in agreement or order.

15.65.320 - Agreement and order provisions for research.

15.65.330 - Agreement and order provisions for uniform grades and standards—Enforcement—Rules.

15.65.340 - Agreement and order provisions prohibiting or regulating certain practices.

15.65.350 - Agreement and order to define applicable area—"Production area"—"Marketing area."

15.65.360 - Agreement and order provisions for marketing information, services, verification of grades, standards, sampling, etc.

15.65.370 - Agreement or order not to prohibit or discriminatorily burden marketing.

15.65.375 - Agreement and order provisions—Participation in proceedings concerning regulation of pesticides or agricultural chemicals.

15.65.380 - Additional agreement or order provisions.

15.65.390 - Annual assessment—Limitation generally.

15.65.400 - Rate of assessment.

15.65.410 - Time, place, method for payment and collection of assessments.

15.65.420 - Use of moneys collected—Departmental expenses.

15.65.430 - Refunds of moneys received or collected.

15.65.440 - Assessments personal debt—Additional percentage if not paid—Civil action to collect.

15.65.450 - Deposit to defray department's expenses—Circumstances requiring reimbursement.

15.65.470 - Depositaries for revolving fund—Deposits.

15.65.480 - Separate accounts for each agreement or order—Disbursements.

15.65.490 - Records of financial transactions to be kept by director—Audits.

15.65.500 - Bonds of administrator, board, employee.

15.65.510 - Information and inspections required—Hearings—Confidentiality and disclosures.

15.65.520 - Criminal acts and penalties.

15.65.530 - Civil liability—Use of moneys recovered.

15.65.540 - Jurisdiction of superior courts—Who may bring action.

15.65.550 - Duty of attorney general and prosecuting attorneys—Investigation and hearing by director.

15.65.560 - Remedies additional.

15.65.570 - Proceedings subject to administrative procedure act—Exemptions.

15.65.580 - Director may issue agreement or order similar to license or order issued by United States—Administrator, board.

15.65.590 - Cooperation, joint agreements or orders with other states and United States to achieve uniformity.

15.65.600 - Public interest to be protected—Establishment of prices prohibited.

15.65.620 - Chapter not to affect other laws—Agreements and orders under prior law may be made subject to chapter.

15.65.630 - Application of chapter to canners, freezers, pressers, dehydrators of fruit or vegetables.

15.65.640 - Chapter not to apply to green pea grower or processor.

15.65.650 - Hop commodity board—Powers.

15.65.670 - Costs of implementing RCW 15.65.287.

15.65.680 - Appointment of nonvoting advisory members.

15.65.900 - Savings—1961 c 256.