WASHINGTON, Nov. 29, 2012 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced that Johnston Seed Company Inc., Ashburn, Ga., has paid $14,850 to settle alleged violations of the Federal Seed Act.
This settlement resolves 17 cases that involved one shipment of bermudagrass seed and 12 shipments of browntop millet seed to Alabama and one shipment of Bahiagrass seed and three shipments of browntop millet seed to Mississippi. The alleged violations, while not the same for all shipments, were as follows:
- false labeling as to the percentage of other crop seed;-false labeling as to percentage of germination;-false labeling as to date of germination test; and-failure to keep or supply complete records of the seed, as required by the act.
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 Alabama and Mississippi. The Federal Seed Act is a truth-in-labeling law designed to protect farmers and consumers who buy seed.
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