<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">5.13.13</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>The U.S.D.A. has filed an administrative action against A & A Ontario Market Inc. for PACA violations.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Allegedly, the California-based company failed to pay 11 sellers a total of $232,581 for produce between December 2010 and March 2012.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The company will have an opportunity to request a hearing, but if the U.S.D.A. finds that the company committed repeated and flagrant violations, it will be barred from operation in the produce industry for two years. Additionally, its principals could not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The Agricultural Marketing Service regulates fair trading practices of produce companies operating under PACA.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">In the past three years, USDA resolved approximately 5,000 claims filed under PACA involving almost $96 million.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> <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">AMS</a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
