WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has filed an administrative complaint against Florida-based Felda Vegetable Farms Inc. under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA).
According to a USDA press release, the company 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, the USDA stated. Should the 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.
In the past three years, the USDA has resolved approximately 3,700 PACA claims involving more than $66 million. Its experts have also assisted more than 7,100 callers with issues valued at approximately $100 million. These are just two examples of how the USDA continues to support the fruit and vegetable industry.
