WASHINGTON, Jan. 11, 2011 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today announced that Terra Organics LLC, a seed company operating out of Maxwell, Calif., has paid $1,575 to settle alleged violations of the Federal Seed Act. The company settled the case in agreement with AMS officials. The company neither admitted nor denied the charges brought against them.
This settlement resolves five cases that involved five shipments of tomato seed to North Carolina. The alleged violations, while not the same for all shipments, were as follows:
- false labeling as to variety name; and-failure to keep, or supply the complete records of the seed.
AMS administers the Federal Seed Act with the assistance of state seed officials. This investigation was completed by AMS seed regulatory officials in North Carolina. The Federal Seed Act is a truth-in-labeling law designed to protect farmers and consumers who buy seed.
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