California County Passes Ordinance To Protect Walnut Growers From Theft

The Sutter County Board of Supervisors recently passed an ordinance to require buyers to verify ownership for any walnut sellers, according to a news report in the Marysville Appeals-Democrat.

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In 2013, 24,000 pounds of walnuts were stolen by thieves with falsified documents, pretending to be the driver who will take a load of the crop from the seller to the buyer, the news report says. Thieves also knock the bottom of transport trailers to scoop nuts into truck beds as they spill to the ground or enter orchards at night to fill sacks, according to the article.

Sutter County Agriculture Commissioner, Mark Quisenberry, says growers get about six cents per unshelled walnut.

Violators of the ordinance face a $500 fine for first incidence, and up to $1,000 for a second or subsequent violation.

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