WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that Amaya Farms LLC satisfied a reparation order issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA).
According to a recent USDA release, the McAllen, Texas, company met its obligations and is now free to operate in the produce industry. Jorge Amaya and Fernando McIntyre were listed as members of the business and may now be employed by, or affiliated with any PACA licensee.
Once a reparation order is fully satisfied and it is confirmed that there are no longer any outstanding unpaid awards, USDA lifts the employment restrictions of the previously named, responsibly connected individuals. USDA will only reinstate the license of a business to an active status if all reparation awards are satisfied, and if the license is not terminated.
The PACA Division, which is part of USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), regulates fair trading practices of produce businesses that are operating subject to PACA including buyers, sellers, commission merchants, dealers, and brokers within the fruit and vegetable industry.
In the past three years, USDA resolved approximately 3,500 PACA claims involving more than $58 million, and assisted more than 8,000 callers with issues valued at approximately $140 million. These are just two examples of how USDA supports the fruit and vegetable industry.
