WASHINGTON, Oct. 18, 2013 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced that Discount Seeds Inc., Watertown, S.D., has paid $7,425 to settle alleged violations of the Federal Seed Act.
This settlement resolves nine cases that involved three shipments of rye seed and six shipments of oat seed to Missouri. The alleged violations, while not the same for all shipments, were as follows:
- false labeling as to the presence of noxious-weed seed; -false labeling as to germination percentage; and-failure to keep or supply records of the seed, as required by the Federal Seed Act.
The company settled the cases 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 Missouri. By working collaboratively with State partners, the Federal Seed Act also helps promote uniformity among State laws and fair competition within the seed trade.
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