(a) Initial issuance. Each producer desiring an allotment base for one or more classes of oil shall register with the Committee and furnish to it, on forms provided by the Committee, a report of the number of pounds of each class of oil sold during each of the marketing years of 1977, of 1978, and of 1979, which is the representative base period, and the number of pounds of each class of oil currently available for sale and the location of such oil, the name and address of each handler, the quantity of oil by class sold to each handler, the acreage and location of each year's production of spearmint, and any additional information requested by the Committee. A producer who has changed or changes identity from an individual producer to a partnership or corporate producer, or from a partnership to a corporate or individual producer, or from a corporate to a partnership or individual producer, may for the purpose of establishing the initial and subsequent allotment base, register with the Committee as one and the same person.

(b)(1) Initially, the allotment base for each class of oil shall be established by the Committee for each registered producer, at the option of such producer, as follows:

(i) The average annual number of pounds of oil of that class sold during any two marketing years of the representative base period; or

(ii) The average annual number of pounds of that class of oil sold during the representative period plus 33 1/3 percent of oil of that class currently available for sale; or

(iii) The quantity of that class of oil sold during the 1979 marketing year, plus the quantity of that class of oil currently available for sale.

(2) If a producer has spearmint planted by February 27, 1979, but has no sales history during the representative period, the producer's allotment base shall be established by multiplying its acreage to be harvested for spearmint oil by the average amount of oil per acre sold in the allotment base of other producers in the state or area, whichever is more representative, in which the acreage is located: Provided, That, the Committee shall review and adjust these allotment bases in accordance with paragraph (c) of this section on the basis of the producer's sales of spearmint oil.

(c) Periodically, but at least once every five years, the Committee shall review and adjust each producer's allotment base to recognize changes and trends in production and demand. Any such adjustment shall be made in accordance with a formula prescribed by the Committee with the approval of the Secretary.

(d)(1) Beginning with the 1982-83 marketing year, the Committee annually shall make additional allotment bases available for each class of oil in the amount of no more than 1 percent of the total allotment base for that class of oil. Fifty percent of these additional allotment bases shall be made available for new producers and 50 percent made available for existing producers.

(2) Any person may apply for an additional allotment base for any class of oil by filing an application with the Committee on or before December 1 of the marketing year preceding the marketing year for which the additional allotment bases will be made available.

(3) The Committee shall, with the approval of the Secretary, establish rules and regulations to be used for determining the distribution of additional allotment bases. In establishing such rules, the Committee shall take into account, among other things, the minimum economic enterprise requirements for oil production, the applicant's ability to produce oil, the area where the oil will be produced and other economic and marketing factors.

(e) The right to each producer receiving an allotment base, or any legal successor in interest, to retain all or part of an allotment base, shall be dependent on continuance to make a bona fide effort to produce the annual allotment referable thereto and failing to do so, such allotment base shall be reduced by an amount equivalent to such unproduced portions.

Effective Date Note:At 50 span 41480, Oct. 11, 1985, in § 985.53, paragraph (d)(2) was suspended indefinitely.