The Fruit Police: Feds Should Stop Limiting Fruit and Veggie Sales

[Geee]

Heritage Foundation:

ell too many cherries, and the federal fruit police might come knocking at your door. Washington’s fruit and vegetable marketing orders give cartels the greenlight to restrict the supply of certain fruits and vegetables. The feds then act as the enforcer of the regulations developed through these cartels.

 

Marketing orders were center stage in Horne v. USDA, a case decided this year by the U.S. Supreme Court. The feds wanted to fine raisin growers for not turning over part of their crop to the government. Fortunately, the Court held that the government’s actions constituted a taking of private property and would require just compensation.

 

However, this doesn’t mean there couldn’t be ways to restrict raisin supply, such as by imposing quotas that limit production. In fact, a web page for the U.S. Department of Agriculture now says that the raisin supply restrictions will be amended in light of the Horne case. Translation: If independent raisin growers dare try to sell more than what the raisin cartel wants on the market, the feds will still find a way to quash them.