7 U.S.C. § 6001 — Findings and declaration of policy

(a) Findings. Congress finds that (1) pecans are a native American nut, an important food, and a valuable part of the human diet; (2) pecan^* production significantly affects the United States^* economy because thousands produce pecans, many shell^* and process them, and millions consume United States pecans domestically and abroad; (3) pecans must be high quality, available, properly handled, and efficiently marketed to give consumers an adequate supply; (4) maintaining and expanding existing markets and developing new ones are vital to pecan producers and people who market, use, or produce pecans, to the United States economy, and to availability and efficient marketing; (5) established State^* organizations’ pecan promotion^*, research^*, and industry and consumer education programs are valuable; (6) cooperative development, financing, and implementation of a coordinated national pecan promotion, research, industry-information, and consumer-information program are needed to maintain and expand markets and develop new ones; and (7) pecans move in interstate and foreign commerce^*, while pecans that do not move through those channels directly burden or affect interstate pecan commerce.
(b) Policy. Congress declares that it is in the public interest to authorize an orderly process, using this chapter’s powers, to develop, finance through adequate assessments on pecans produced or imported into the United States, and carry out an effective, continuous, coordinated program of promotion, research, industry information^*, and consumer information^* designed to (1) strengthen the pecan industry’s marketplace position; (2) maintain and expand domestic and foreign markets and uses; and (3) develop new markets and uses.
(c) Construction. Nothing in this chapter may be interpreted to control production or otherwise limit anyone’s right to produce pecans.