USDA Files Action Against Felda Vegetable Farms Inc. in Florida for Alleged PACA Violations

USDA/AMS Press Release:

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16, 2016 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has filed an administrative complaint under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) against Felda Vegetable Farms Inc.

The company, operating from Florida, allegedly failed to make payment to six produce sellers in the amount of $232,346 from March 2014 through June 2015.

Felda Vegetable Farms Inc. will have an opportunity to request a hearing. Should USDA find that the company committed repeated and flagrant violations, it would be barred from the produce industry for two years. Furthermore, its principal could not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee for one year and then only with the posting of a USDA-approved surety bond.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), PACA Division, regulates fair trading practices of produce firms operating subject to PACA, which includes buyers, sellers, commission merchants, dealers, and brokers within the fruit and vegetable industry. All oversight of actions related to PACA are conducted by AMS, an agency within USDA. PACA establishes a code of good business conduct for the produce industry. Under it, all interstate traders in fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables must be licensed by USDA. USDA is authorized to suspend or revoke a trader’s license for violating the act.

In the past three years, USDA resolved approximately 3,700 PACA claims involving more than $66 million. Our experts also assisted more than 7,100 callers with issues valued at approximately $100 million. These are just two examples of how USDA continues to support the fruit and vegetable industry.

For further information, contact Josephine E. Jenkins, Chief, Investigative Enforcement Branch, at (202) 720-6873, or by email at PACAInvestigations@ams.usda.gov.

Contact Info: Nadine Wilkins, nadine.wilkins@ams.usda.gov, 202-720-1103

Release No.: 030-16