The secretary shall give the Seedless Mandarin and Honeybee Coexistence Working Group reasonable time to develop best management practices described in Section 29810.
(a)
If the Seedless Mandarin and Honeybee Coexistence Working Group reaches consensus of best management practices prior to June 1, 2008, the secretary may adopt regulations if, in the secretary’s judgment, this action is necessary to implement and enforce the best management practices.
(b)
If the Seedless Mandarin and Honeybee Coexistence Working Group fails to reach consensus on best management practices by June 1, 2008, the secretary shall adopt regulations no later than February 1, 2009. Regulations adopted pursuant to this section shall be limited to Fresno, Kern, Madera, and Tulare Counties, address the coexistence issues related to production of seedless mandarin varieties, and allow seedless mandarin producers to meet retail standards for seedless fruit, while providing reasonable access to citrus for the California bee industry. The regulations adopted may include the establishment of fees, not to exceed the cost of the program, to be paid by seedless mandarin growers, subject to this chapter.