§631-A. Official standards

The commissioner is authorized, after holding public hearing, to may by rule establish and promulgate, in a manner consistent with the rule-making procedures of the Maine Administrative Procedure Act, official definitions and standards and sizes for grading or classifying, packaging and labeling eggs and to change such official standards and sizes from time to time.

Such official The standards and sizes shall pursuant to this section may not be lower in their requirements than the minimum requirements and the official standards and sizes for corresponding grades or classifications as promulgated from time to time adopted by the Secretary of Agriculture of the United States, commonly known as U.S. Grades. The commissioner may adopt by reference the United States standards, grades and weight classes for shell eggs as adopted by the United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service.__Rules adopted pursuant to this section are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.

Sec. 31. 7 MRSA §633, first ¶, as repealed and replaced by PL 1973, c. 48, §3, is amended to read:

The Except as provided in section 636, the standards of quality for Maine consumer grades for shell eggs, Grade AA, Grade A and Grade B, that are or may be established by the commissioner, shall apply to all shell eggs sold or offered for sale. The final determination of the grades shall be is made by candling.

Sec. 32. 7 MRSA §635-A is enacted to read:

§635-A.__Prohibition on sale of restricted eggs

A person may not sell restricted eggs except that an egg producer or packer may sell restricted eggs on that producer's or packer's premises directly to a household consumer for use by that consumer and members of the consumer's household and the consumer's nonpaying guests and employees.

Sec. 33. 7 MRSA §636, as repealed and replaced by PL 1973, c. 48, §5, is repealed and the following enacted in its place:

§636.__Exemptions