AMS No. 140-11

Nadine Wilkins (202)720-8998

Nadine.wilkins@ams.usda.gov

WASHINGTON, June 22, 2011 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today announced that The Scotts Company LLC, a seed company operating out of Marysville, Ohio, has paid $2,275 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 three cases that involved one shipment of a grass seed mixture to Georgia, one shipment of a grass seed mixture to Kentucky, and one shipment of a grass seed mixture to Texas. The alleged violations, while not the same for all shipments, were as follows:

-false labeling as to germination rate; and

-false labeling as to germination test date; and

-failure to keep or supply complete records as required.

AMS administers the Federal Seed Act with the assistance of state seed officials. The investigation was completed through the joint efforts of AMS and seed regulatory officials in Georgia and Pennsylvania. The Federal Seed Act is a truth-in-labeling law designed to protect farmers and consumers who buy seed.