116 STAT. 200 PUBLIC LAW 107-171—MAY 13, 2002 be considered as harvested for the production of sugar or seed for purposes of this paragraph. " (5) VIOLATION.— "(A) IN GENERAL. — Whenever proportionate shares are in effect in a State for a crop of sugarcane, producers on a farm shall not knowingly harvest, or allow to be harvested, for sugar or seed an acreage of sugarcane in excess of the farm's proportionate share for the crop year, or otherwise violate proportionate share regulations issued by the Secretary under section 359h(a). "(B) DETERMINATION OF VIOLATION. —No producer shall be considered to have violated subparagraph (A) unless the processor of the sugarcane harvested by such producer from acreage in excess of the proportionate share of the farm markets an amount of sugar that exceeds the allocation of such processor for a crop year. "(C) CIVIL PENALTY.— Any producer on a farm who violates subparagraph (A) by knowingly harvesting, or allowing to be harvested, an acreage of sugarcane in excess of the farm's proportionate share shall be liable to the Commodity Credit Corporation for a civil penalty equal to one and one-half times the United States market value of the quantity of sugar that is marketed by the processor of such sugarcane in excess of the allocation of such processor for the crop year. The Secretary shall prorate penalties imposed under this subparagraph in a fair and equitable manner among all the producers of sugarcane harvested from excess acreage that is acquired by such processor. "(6) WAIVER.— Notwithstanding the preceding subparagraph, the Secretary may authorize the county and State committees established under section 8(b) of the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act (16 U.S.C. 590h(b)) to waive or modify deadlines and other proportionate share requirements in cases in which lateness or failure to meet the other requirements does not affect adversely the operation of proportionate shares. "(7) ADJUSTMENTS. —Whenever the Secretary determines that, because of a natural disaster or other condition beyond the control of producers that adversely affects a crop of sugarcane subject to proportionate shares, the amount of sugarcane produced by producers subject to the proportionate shares will not be sufficient to enable processors in the State to meet the State's cane sugar allotment and provide a normal carryover inventory of sugar, the Secretary may uniformly allow producers to harvest an amount of sugarcane in excess of their proportionate share, or suspend proportionate shares entirely, as necessary to enable processors to meet the State allotment and provide a normal carryover inventory of sugar. "(8) PROCESSING FACILITY CLOSURES.— "(A) IN GENERAL.—I f a sugarcane processing facility subject to this subsection is closed and the sugarcane growers that delivered sugarcane to the facility prior to closure elect to deliver their sugarcane to another processing company, the growers may petition the Secretary to modify allocations under this part to allow the delivery.
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