§ 258-K — Declaration of policy

§ 258-k. Declaration of policy. For the purpose of implementing the\nprovisions of section two hundred fifty-eight-k through section two\nhundred fifty-eight-n of this article, it is hereby declared that the\ndairy industry is a paramount agricultural industry of this state and\nthe normal processes of producing and marketing milk have become an\nenterprise of vast economic importance to the state and of vital\ninterest to the consuming public which ought to be safeguarded and\nprotected in the public interest; that it is the policy of this state to\npromote, foster and encourage the intelligent and orderly marketing of\nmilk through producer owned and controlled cooperative associations and\nto promote, foster and encourage as an incident of such marketing, the\nmaintenance, by such associations, jointly or in cooperation with other\ncooperative associations of programs designed, by means of advertising,\npublicity, education or otherwise, to promote increased demand for and\nconsumption of milk and dairy products; that unfair, unjust and\ndestructive demoralizing trade practices have been and are likely to be\ncarried on in the production, sale, processing and distribution of milk\nand that it is a matter of public interest and for the public welfare\nfor the state to promote the orderly exchange of commodities and in\ncooperation with the federal government or other states in the\nregulation of interstate commerce, to take such steps as are necessary\nand advisable to protect the dairy industry and insure an adequate\nsupply of milk for the inhabitants of this state; that for such purpose\npublic interest requires, as necessity therefor has arisen or may arise,\nthe fixing of prices of milk to be paid to producers and associations of\nproducers where there has been or is a disruption of orderly marketing\nof milk in any marketing area by reason of surpluses or by reason of\nunfair, unjust or destructive trade practices, that in order to make\nsuch price-fixing effective it is necessary that the benefits of the\nfluid market and the burden of, and the expense of, handling of\nsurpluses, be shared equally by all producers of milk for the marketing\narea and to this end that dealers not handling their proportionate share\nof the surplus shall as part of the price of their milk make payments to\na fund to equalize the prices of milk to producers and to share the cost\nof handling surplus so as to remove one of the principal causes of price\ndemoralization.\n