Pool plant means a plant, unit of plants, or system of plants as specified in paragraphs (a) through (f) of this section, or a plant specified in paragraph (i) of this section, but excluding a plant specified in paragraph (h) of this section. The pooling standards described in paragraphs (c) and (d) and (f) of this section are subject to modification pursuant to paragraph (g) of this section:

(a) A distributing plant, other than a plant qualified as a pool plant pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section or ____.7(b) of any other Federal milk order, from which during the month 25 percent or more of the total quantity of fluid milk products physically received at the plant (excluding concentrated milk received from another plant by agreement for other than Class I use) are disposed of as route disposition or are transferred in the form of packaged fluid milk products to other distributing plants. At least 25 percent of such route disposition and transfers must be to outlets in the marketing area.

(b) Any distributing plant located in the marketing area which during the month processed at least 25 percent of the total quantity of fluid milk products physically received at the plant (excluding concentrated milk received from another plant by agreement for other than Class I use) into ultra-pasteurized or aseptically-processed fluid milk products.

(c) A supply plant from which the quantity of bulk fluid milk products shipped to (and physically unloaded into) plants described in paragraph (c)(1) of this section is not less than 25 percent during the months of August through February and 20 percent in all other months of the Grade A milk received from dairy farmers (except dairy farmers described in § 1032.12(b)) and from handlers described in § 1000.9(c), including milk diverted pursuant to § 1032.13, subject to the following conditions:

(1) Qualifying shipments may be made to plants described in paragraphs (a) or (b) of this section;

(2) The operator of a pool plant located in the marketing area may include as qualifying shipments milk delivered directly from producer's farms pursuant to § 1000.9(c) or § 1032.13(c). Handlers may not use shipments pursuant to § 1000.9(c) or § 1032.13(c) to qualify plants located outside the marketing area;

(3) Concentrated milk transferred from the supply plant to a distributing plant for an agreed-upon use other than Class I shall be excluded from the supply plant's shipments in computing the supply plant's shipping percentage;

(4) No plant may qualify as a pool plant due to a reduction in the shipping percentage pursuant to paragraph (g) of this section unless it has been a pool supply plant during each of the immediately preceding 3 months.

(5) Shipments used in determining qualifying percentages shall be milk transferred or diverted to and physically received by pool distributing plants, less any transfers or diversions of bulk fluid milk products from such pool distributing plants.

(d) A plant located in the marketing area and operated by a cooperative association if, during the month or the immediately preceding 12-month period, 35 percent or more of the producer milk of members of the association (and any producer milk of nonmembers and members of another cooperative association which may be marketed by the cooperative association) is physically received in the form of bulk fluid milk products (excluding concentrated milk transferred to a distributing plant for an agreed-upon use other than Class I) at plants specified in paragraph (a) or (b) of this section either directly from farms or by transfer from supply plants operated by the cooperative association and from plants of the cooperative association for which pool plant status has been requested under this paragraph subject to the following conditions:

(1) The plant does not qualify as a pool plant under paragraph (a), (b) or (c) of this section or under comparable provisions of another Federal order; and

(2) The plant is approved by a duly constituted regulatory agency for the handling of milk approved for fluid consumption in the marketing area.

(e) Two or more plants operated by the same handler and located in the marketing area may qualify for pool status as a unit by meeting the total and in-area route disposition requirements of a pool distributing plant specified in paragraph (a) of this section subject to the following additional requirements:

(1) At least one of the plants in the unit must qualify as a pool plant pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section;

(2) Other plants in the unit must process Class I or Class II products, using 50 percent or more of the total Grade A fluid milk products received in bulk form at such plant or diverted therefrom by the plant operator in Class I or Class II products, and must be located in a pricing zone providing the same or a lower Class I price than the price applicable at the distributing plant included in the unit pursuant to paragraph (e)(1) of this section; and

(3) The operator of the unit has filed a written request with the market administrator prior to the first day of the month for which such status is desired to be effective. The unit shall continue from month to month thereafter without further notification. The handler shall notify the market administrator in writing prior to the first day of any month for which termination or any change of the unit is desired.

(f) A system of supply plants may qualify for pooling if 2 or more plants operated by one or more handlers meet the applicable percentage requirements of paragraph (c) of this section in the same manner as a single plant, subject to the following additional requirements:

(1) Each plant in the system is located within the marketing area;

(2) The handler(s) establishing the system submits a written request to the market administrator on or before September 1 requesting that such plants qualify as a system for the period of September through August of the following year. Such request will contain a list of the plants participating in the system;

(3) Each plant included within a pool supply plant system shall continue each month as a plant in the system through the following August unless the handler(s) establishing the system submits a written request to the market administrator that the plant be deleted from the system or that the system be discontinued. Any plant that has been so deleted from a system, or that has failed to qualify in any month, will not be part of any system for the remaining months through August. No plant may be added in any subsequent month through the following August to a system that qualifies in September; and

(4) If a system fails to qualify under the requirements of this paragraph, the handler responsible for qualifying the system shall notify the market administrator which plant or plants will be deleted from the system so that the remaining plants may be pooled as a system. If the handler fails to do so, the market administrator shall exclude one or more plants, beginning at the bottom of the list of plants in the system and continuing up the list as necessary until the deliveries are sufficient to qualify the remaining plants in the system.

(g) The applicable shipping percentages of paragraphs (c), (d), and (f) of this section may be increased or decreased, for all or part of the marketing area, by the market administrator if the market administrator finds that such adjustment is necessary to encourage needed shipments or to prevent uneconomic shipments. Before making such a finding, the market administrator shall investigate the need for adjustment either on the market administrator's own initiative or at the request of interested parties if the request is made in writing at least 15 days prior to the month for which the requested revision is desired effective. If the investigation shows that an adjustment of the shipping percentages might be appropriate, the market administrator shall issue a notice stating that an adjustment is being considered and invite data, views and arguments. Any decision to revise an applicable shipping percentage must be issued in writing at least one day before the effective date.

(h) The term pool plant shall not apply to the following plants:

(1) A producer-handler as defined under any Federal order;

(2) An exempt plant as defined in § 1000.8(e);

(3) A plant located within the marketing area and qualified pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section which meets the pooling requirements of another Federal order, and from which more than 50 percent of its route disposition has been in the other Federal order marketing area for 3 consecutive months. On the basis of a written application made by the plant operator at least 15 days prior to the date for which a determination of the market administrator is to be effective, the market administrator may determine that the route disposition in the respective marketing areas to be used for purposes of this paragraph shall exclude (for a specified period of time) route disposition made under limited term contracts to governmental bases and institutions;

(4) A plant located outside any Federal order marketing area and qualified pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section that meets the pooling requirements of another Federal order and has had greater route disposition in such other Federal order's marketing area for 3 consecutive months;

(5) A plant located in another Federal order marketing area and qualified pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section that meets the pooling requirements of such other Federal order and does not have a majority of its route distribution in this marketing area for 3 consecutive months or if the plant is required to be regulated under such other Federal order without regard to its route disposition in any other Federal order marketing area;

(6) A plant qualified pursuant to paragraph (c) of this section which also meets the pooling requirements of another Federal order and from which greater qualifying shipments are made to plants regulated under the other Federal order than are made to plants regulated under the order in this part, or the plant has automatic pooling status under the other Federal order; and

(7) That portion of a regulated plant designated as a nonpool plant that is physically separate and operated separately from the pool portion of such plant. The designation of a portion of a plant must be requested in advance and in writing by the handler and must be approved by the market administrator. Such nonpool status shall be effective on the first day of the month following approval of the request by the market administrator and thereafter for the longer of twelve (12) consecutive months or until notification of the desire to requalify as a pool plant, in writing, is received by the market administrator. Requalification will require deliveries to a pool distributing plant(s) as provided for in § 1032.7(c). For requalification, handlers may not use milk delivered directly from producer's farms pursuant to § 1000.9(c) or § 1032.13(c) for the first month.

(i) Any distributing plant, located within the marketing area as described on May 1, 2006, in § 1032.2;

(1) From which there is route disposition and/or transfers of packaged fluid milk products in any non-federally regulated marketing area(s) located within one or more States that require handlers to pay minimum prices for raw milk provided that 25 percent or more of the total quantity of fluid milk products physically received at such plant (excluding concentrated milk received from another plant by agreement for other than Class I use) is disposed of as route disposition and/or is transferred in the form of packaged fluid milk products to other plants. At least 25 percent of such route disposition and/or transfers, in aggregate, are in any non-federally regulated marketing area(s) located within one or more States that require handlers to pay minimum prices for raw milk. Subject to the following exclusions:

(i) The plant is described in § 1032.7(a), (b), or (e);

(ii) The plant is subject to the pricing provisions of a State-operated milk pricing plan which provides for the payment of minimum class prices for raw milk;

(iii) The plant is described in § 1000.8(a) or (e); or

(iv) A producer-handler described in § 1032.10 with less than three million pounds during the month of route disposition and/or transfers of packaged fluid milk products to other plants.

(2) [Reserved]

[64 FR 47985, Sept. 1, 1999, as amended at 68 FR 7072, Feb. 12, 2003; 71 FR 25500, May 1, 2006; 71 FR 28249, May 16, 2006; 71 FR 63216, Oct. 30, 2006]