(a) A producer-handler, for purposes of this chapter, shall also include, as a separate and distinct category of producer-handlers, any producer and any handler who purchases or handles fluid milk or fluid cream produced by this producer if all of the ownership of the handler and all of the ownership of the producer is owned by the same person or persons and their ownership in the producer or handler is at least 95 percent identical for each person with their ownership in the handler or producer. This ownership shall not exceed 10 individual persons or owners of equitable interest in a partnership, corporation, or other legally constituted business association.

(b) The ownership required by this section may be through a partnership, corporation, or other legally constituted business association if the entities are owned by the same person or persons, and there is at least 95 percent identity of ownership for each person with their ownership in the handler or producer. For purposes of this section, a “person” or “persons” includes the spouse, or other persons of lineal consanguinity of the first or second degree or collateral consanguinity to the fourth degree, and their spouses, and includes an adopted child the same as a natural child and kindred of the half blood equally with those of the whole blood of the owner and ownerships by persons so related shall be considered single ownership by one person. For purposes of this section, property pledged or hypothecated in any manner to others shall be considered “owned” if equitable ownership with management and control remain with the producer-handler.

(c) Ownership as provided in this section shall have existed at the time of the base period selected by the producer under Section 62707 and at all other times thereafter.

(d) Any such producer-distributor may, until August 6, 1969, do either of the following:

(1) Join and operate wholly within the pool.

(2) Have its entire original production base and pool quota determined during the base period it selected as a producer pursuant to Section 62707, established as a part of the pooling plan, and, nevertheless elect to operate entirely outside of the pool to the extent authorized by this section.

(e) Any producer-handler who qualifies under this section and elects to operate outside the pool, to the extent of the authority granted, shall have the right to make deductions, as follows, from its own class 1 sales, excluding sales to a handler, whether in bulk or packaged, before being required to account to the pool:

(1) If it has not sold production base and pool quota subsequent to February 9, 1977, it may deduct its original quota, and quota purchased prior to March 1, 1995, plus a daily deduction of 150 pounds of milk fat and 375 pounds of solids not fat.

(2) If it has sold production base and pool quota subsequent to February 9, 1977, it may only deduct its original pool quota, and quota purchased prior to March 1, 1995.

(f) The deductions from class 1 sales authorized pursuant to this section may be made irrespective of the fact that the average class 1 usage in the pool for that month may be less than 100 percent of the pool quota in that pool.

(g) Any production subject to this section from the producer-handler selecting this option shall not have the right to participate in the quota pool, irrespective of the fact that the producer-handler did not sell all of the quota as class 1, and will participate in either the base pool or the overbase pool depending upon whether the total production base of the producer is sufficient to cover the milk delivered in excess of the class 1 usage exempted hereunder, otherwise the production in excess of the exempt producer-handler’s own class 1 sales, as defined in this section, shall be accounted for as overbase milk.

(h) The fact that a producer-handler qualifies as to one of its milk production operations under this section does not prevent it from operating on an entirely separate nonqualifying basis (and, therefore, subject to pooling) at other milk production facilities, and with other nonqualifying persons at these other milk production facilities. A producer-handler can neither buy nor sell pool quota and transfer therewith the option granted under this section, but this shall not prevent him or her from purchasing or selling pool quota or production base as otherwise provided in this chapter.

(i) If at any time ownership, as defined in this section, ceases, the producer-handler shall no longer be eligible for the options in this section, shall account to the pool as a separate handler, and shall be entitled to reentry into producer participation in the pool on the same basis as a producer-handler may under the last paragraph of Section 62708.

(Repealed and added by Stats. 1995, Ch. 174, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 1996.)