Washington, DC
April 21, 2008
The
U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced that a
Brookings, S.D., seed company has paid USDA $1,400 to settle
alleged violations of the Federal Seed Act.
The company, The Sexauer Company Inc., 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 rye
seed made to Georgia, and two shipments of flax and foxtail
millet made to Texas, 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
germination, pure seed, and inert matter;
- failure to keep and or
supply a complete record of the seed; and
- failure to label with name
and address or code designation.
AMS administers the act with the
help of state seed officials. Seed regulatory officials in
Georgia and 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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