§ 2971. Creation of Council

(a) There is established within the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets the Vermont Dairy Promotion Council, which shall be composed of the Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets and the following: Each milk cooperative with producers subject to the provision of the law with two percent or more of the total producers, shall be entitled to one member of the council plus one additional member for each 15 percent of the total milk subject to the provisions of this section.

(b) The milk cooperatives shall provide the Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets with two nominees for each entitlement of whom one shall be appointed by the Secretary. The second nominee shall become an alternate to serve in the absence of the appointee. The Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets shall appoint three producer members to the council and one alternate to serve in the absence of any one of these three members to represent those producers not members of a milk cooperative and those cooperatives not eligible under the terms of this section, and one distributor representative, after seeking the advice of producer associations, distributor associations, and individual producers and distributors within the State. During the month of February, six members shall be appointed for a one-year term and the balance for a two-year term. Thereafter one-half of the members shall be appointed annually. The council shall serve at the discretion of the Secretary. A milk producer who is serving on the Vermont dairy promotion council shall not be a member of the Agency disbursing the funds. The appointive members shall each receive $75.00 per day for each day spent in actual attendance at meetings of the council, but not exceeding a total compensation of $750.00 per annum for each member, and they also shall receive their actual necessary expenses and mileage while attending to their duties. The Secretary shall serve as chair of the Council and administer and enforce the provisions of this chapter. (1965, No. 175, § 58; amended 1979, No. 101 (Adj. Sess.), § 4; 1981, No. 198 (Adj. Sess.), § 4, eff. April 22, 1982; 1989, No. 256 (Adj. Sess.), §§ 4, 10(a), eff. Jan. 1, 1991; 1991, No. 232 (Adj. Sess.), § 3; 2003, No. 42, § 2, eff. May 27, 2003; 2011, No. 39, § 7, eff. May 19, 2011.)