Upon the filing with the State Board of Agriculture and Industries of an application by any nonprofit association of catfish producers as provided in Section 2-8-273, the said board shall within 30 days thereafter meet and consider the application. If it is shown by the applicant to the satisfaction of the board that the applicant is fairly and substantially representative of the catfish producers of this state, and the board shall otherwise find and determine that such application is in conformity with the provisions and purposes of this article, the board shall certify such association as the duly delegated and authorized group or organization and shall likewise certify that such association is duly authorized to conduct among the catfish producers of this state a referendum for the purpose set forth in its application which shall be consistent with the purposes of this article. In the event there is more than one pending application at any time, the board must decide between the pending applications based on the program proposed, the number and geographic distribution of catfish producer members in the applicant organization, the size, stability, potential effectiveness and fiscal soundness of the applicant organization and any organizations with which it is affiliated, the existence and effectiveness of affiliated county organizations in the applicant organization and its affiliates and the sentiment of catfish producers as ascertained by petitions, hearings and otherwise as may be determined by the board. No application shall be considered if an association holds currently valid certification.
Last modified: May 3, 2021