Compliance With The Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act
Much of the work we do at Meuers Law Firm, P.L. involves ensuring that produce businesses comply with PACA regulations. While many of these regulations are certainly familiar to most producers and distributors of fresh fruit and vegetables, others can catch businesses by surprise. Failure to comply could lead to PACA disciplinary actions that, at worst, could cost a business its PACA license. At best, they will require time and resources to be shifted away from the running of the business while the issue is resolved. We use our decades of experience to prevent clients from having to deal with these issues at all.
What Is Regulated?
PACA regulates nearly all facets of the produce industry, providing a code of fair play to aid producers and distributors. Some regulations are obvious: Sellers must ship the quantity and quality of produce specified, while buyers must accept shipments that meet contractual specifications and provide prompt payment. PACA also prohibits unfair trade practices like altering inspection certificates, making false or misleading statements regarding the sale of produce, and misbranding or misrepresenting grade, quality, quantity, weight or other details.
PACA also regulates record keeping. Certain records must be kept for a certain amount of time. This is a critical but often overlooked aspect of PACA. Our lawyers provide advice and guidance on record keeping and all other PACA regulations, ensuring compliance so that our clients can focus on what is most important: running a successful produce business.
Contact Our PACA Law Attorneys
Call our PACA regulations attorneys at 239-260-9745 or send us an e-mail. No travel is necessary. We can address all issues via phone, e-mail or fax for your convenience.