The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced on the 15th of February that it will conduct a referendum for eligible US manufacturers and importers of softwood lumber to vote on whether to continue the Softwood Lumber Research, Promotion, Consumer Education and Industry Information Order.
The referendum will be held from April 17 through May 14, 2018.
The research and promotion program will continue if it is favored by a majority of domestic manufacturers and importers voting in the referendum, who also represent a majority of the volume of softwood lumber represented in the referendum.
To vote in the referendum, manufacturers and importers must have domestically manufactured and shipped or imported 15 million board feet or more of softwood lumber from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2017, to have been subject to assessments during that period and currently be subject to assessment under the program.
AMS will conduct the referendum by mail. AMS staff will mail ballots and voting instructions to all known eligible manufacturers and importers before the voting period. More information about referendum procedures is in Subpart B of the Softwood Lumber Research, Promotion, Consumer Education and Industry Information Order.
The softwood lumber program is authorized under the Commodity Promotion, Research and Information Act of 1996. The program was developed to strengthen the position of softwood lumber in the marketplace, maintain and expand markets for softwood lumber, and develop new uses for softwood lumber within the United States.
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