(a) The Department may issue to the applicant a permit for the shipment of a specified quantity of the product within a specified period, which shall not exceed one year, upon determining that the count, arrangement, or pack is not deceptive or misleading in any manner. A permit may be renewed a maximum of two times in any harvest season or any succeeding harvest season upon written application showing to the Department that the experiment has not been completed, provided that a permit shall not be renewed after three years from the date of issue of the original permit.

(b) Notwithstanding the above requirements, any person to whom a permit has been issued prior to January 1, 2000 and such permit has either expired prior to or continues to be valid on or after January 1, 2000, the permittee shall, upon written request, be authorized a new permit and two renewals as provided in (a), above.