Washington, DC
May 9, 2008
The
U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced that a Fort
Dodge, Iowa., seed company has paid USDA $1,725 to settle
alleged violations of the Federal Seed Act.
The company, Forage First,
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 seed mixture
shipment to Michigan and one seed mixture, and two perennial
ryegrass seed shipments to Ohio, alleged to be in violation of
the Federal Seed Act.
The alleged violations, while not the same for all shipments,
were:
- false labeling as to pure
seed and other crop seed;
- failure to label as a
mixture of seed;
- false labeling as to
germination test date;
- false labeling as to
company AMS number, 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
Michigan and Ohio 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. |
|
