<p style="text-indent:0px; line-height:12px;"><span style="font-weight:bold;line-height:130%"> Washington, D.C.</span><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">By Eric Anderson<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">4.4.13</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>The USDA has announced that 2000 Avondale Foods LLC satisfied a reparation order issued against it under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA).<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The Durham, NC-based company is allowed to continue operating in the produce industry once they are issued a PACA license. Eligio Pena was listed as a member of the business and may now be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The PACA provides an administrative forum to handle disputes involving produce transactions The USDA is required to impose sanctions on a business that fails to pay PACA reparations awarded against it as well as impose restrictions against those principals determined to be responsibly connected to the business when the order is issued.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Once a reparation order is fully satisfied and it is confirmed that there are not any outstanding unpaid awards, USDA lifts restrictions of the responsibly connected individuals. USDA also requires any unlicensed company that fully satisfies all unpaid reparation awards to obtain a license if it continues to operate in the industry.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href=" http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/ams.fetchTemplateData.do?template=TemplateA&navID=Home&topNav=Home&page=Home&acct=AMSPW" target="_new">Agricultural Marketing Service</a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
