Washington, DC, USA
April 3, 2014

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced that Haas Seed House, Albers, Ill., has paid $1,050 to settle alleged violations of the Federal Seed Act.

This settlement resolves two cases that involved two shipments of wheat seed from Illinois. One shipment went to Arkansas and the second to Missouri. The alleged violations were as follows:

• false labeling as to percentage of germination;
• false labeling as to presence of noxious-weed seed;
• false labeling as to the variety name; and
• failure to keep or supply 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 Arkansas and 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.

Website: http://www.ams.usda.gov

Published: April 3, 2014