WASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2012 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced that J. Lee Company, Hennessey, Okla., has paid $1,350 to settle alleged violations of the Federal Seed Act.
This settlement resolves three cases that involved one shipment of cowpea seed and two shipments of rye seed from Oklahoma to Georgia. The alleged violations, while not the same for all shipments, were as follows:
- false labeling as to pure seed and inert matter percentages; and-false labeling as to the rate of occurrence of noxious-weed seed.
The company settled the cases in agreement with AMS officials. The company neither admitted nor denied the charges brought against them.
AMS administers the Federal Seed Act with the assistance of state seed officials. The investigations were completed through the joint efforts of AMS and seed regulatory officials in Georgia. The Federal Seed Act is a truth-in-labeling law designed to protect farmers and consumers who buy seed.
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