The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced that a Shamrock, Texas, seed company has paid USDA $2,325 to settle alleged violations of the Federal Seed Act. 

The company, James Reneau Seed Company, settled the case in agreement with officials from USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service.  The company neither admitted nor denied the charges.

The case resolved by the settlement involved three shipments consisting of rye seed alleged to be in violation of the Federal Seed Act; there was one shipment to Alabama that was reshipped to Florida; one shipment to Missouri; and one shipment to Oklahoma that was reshipped to Georgia. 

The alleged violations, while not the same for all shipments, were:

• false labeling as to germination;

• false labeling as to noxious-weed seed;

• failure to label as a mixture;

• failure to label the name and address of the shipper;

• failure to show the presence of noxious-weed seeds;

• failure to test for germination prior to interstate shipment; and

• failure to keep and/or supply a complete record of the seed.

AMS administers the act with the help of state seed officials.  Seed regulatory officials in Florida, Georgia, and Missouri cooperated with AMS in making the investigations.  The Federal Seed Act is a truth-in-labeling law designed to protect farmers and consumers who buy seed.