WASHINGTON, May 20, 2014 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced that Barenbrug USA, Tangent, Ore., has paid $6,500 to settle alleged violations of the Federal Seed Act.
This settlement resolves six cases that involved one shipment of red clover seed to Texas, one shipment of a wildlife food plot seed mixture to Missouri, and four shipments of lawn grass seed mixtures to Indiana. The alleged violations were as follows:
- false labeling as to pure seed percentages;-false labeling as to germination and hard seed percentages;-false labeling as to presence of noxious-weed seed;-false labeling as to dates of germination tests; and-failure to keep or supply the complete records of the seed.
The company settled the case in agreement with AMS officials. The company neither admitted nor denied the charges brought against them.
The Federal Seed Act regulates the interstate shipment of agricultural and vegetable seeds to ensure that seed shipped in interstate commerce is truthfully labeled, and that advertisements about the seed are truthful. This allows seed buyers to make informed choices and promotes fair competition within the seed trade. AMS administers the Federal Seed Act by leveraging its resources with State departments of agriculture. These investigations were a result of joint efforts with seed regulatory officials in Indiana, Missouri, and Texas. By working collaboratively with State partners, the Federal Seed Act also helps promote uniformity among State laws and fair competition within the seed trade.
Get the latest Agricultural Marketing Service news at www.ams.usda.gov/news or follow us on Twitter @USDA_AMS. You can also read about us on the USDA blog.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users).