Washington, DC
December 19, 2007
The
U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced that a
Lawton, Okla., seed company has paid USDA $1,750 to settle
alleged violations of the Federal Seed Act.
The company, Warner Brothers
Seed Co., settled the case in agreement with officials from
USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). The company neither
admitted nor denied the charges.
The case resolved by the settlement involved one shipment of
little bluestem, buffalograss, switchgrass, and yellow (old
world) bluestem seeds made to Texas.
The alleged violations were:
- false labeling of purity
percentages, germination percentage, and test date;
- misleading labeling with
respect to germination percentage;
- misrepresenting seed as
being treated (considered advertising); and
- failure to keep required
records.
AMS administers the act with the
help of state seed officials. Seed regulatory officials in Texas
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. |
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