Section 56280 Of Article 7. Commission Merchants From California Food And Agricultural Code >> Division 20. >> Chapter 7. >> Article 7.
56280
. (a) A commission merchant shall notify each consignor with
whom he or she does business of this section. The notice shall be
given in writing prior to the shipping season of the particular farm
product.
(b) No charge shall be made against a consignor's account for a
downward price adjustment or a reduction in quantity of farm products
delivered due to a breach of contract, unless the commission
merchant has, in his or her files, a federal-state inspection
certificate, issued pursuant to the United States Agricultural
Marketing Act of 1946, (7 U.S.C. 1621, et seq.), indicating the type
and the extent of the substandard condition of the lot involved in
the breach of contract, thereby supporting the amount charged against
the consignor's account. The commission merchant need not obtain a
federal-state inspection certificate unless the lot involved is of a
substandard condition.
(c) Notwithstanding Section 56281, this section does not preclude
a consignor from agreeing to a downward price adjustment or a
reduction in the quantity of farm products delivered and waiving the
right to inspection when the agreement was made prior to the shipping
season of the particular farm product and was in writing.
(d) The federal-state inspection certificate may be substituted by
a private third-party inspection, based on the standards prescribed
under the United States Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, if the
director determines, to his or her satisfaction, that a federal-state
inspection certificate could not reasonably be obtained. If the
director determines, to his or her satisfaction, that neither a
federal-state inspection certificate nor private, third-party
inspection, can be reasonably obtained, a signed statement of two or
more disinterested, or otherwise independent parties, who have
sufficient knowledge, acquired through education or experience, to
evaluate the farm product involved, may be used as substitute for the
federal-state certificate or third-party inspection, in order to
make a statement as to the quality and condition of the lot of farm
product at the time of inspection.
(e) Where the condition of the lot is not substandard but for
other reasons, including a decline in market demand, there is a
downward price adjustment, the commission merchant shall affirm, in
writing, that the lot was at least of standard quality at the time of
sale. The affirmation shall be attached to, or made part of, the
records of the consignment.
(f) As used in this section, "lot" means the farm product
identified by the procedure set forth in subdivision (h) of Section
56271.