CODE OF ETHICS
OREGON SEED ASSOCIATION
So that you may understand the purpose and philosophy of the Oregon Seed Association, we publish this condensed version of relevant sections of our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws.
Objectives
To uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States; to maintain law and order; to foster and encourage the highest ideals of citizenship; to assist in the development of the State of Oregon by encouraging the best uses of its natural resources and by improving the material and social conditions of all of its people. To serve the interests of agricultural development within the State of Oregon by improving friendly business relations between members, the promotion of the legitimate interests of the Seed Trade within the State and cooperation with educational and regulatory authorities and other interested agencies, in the development of a sound and effective seed program.
To develop, encourage, promote and enforce among its members a firmer business unity. To improve and perfect high standards of integrity and ethics in transactions between the members, between members and their customers and with the general public.
It shall be the duty of each and every member of this Association to uphold, promote and abide by the provisions of the Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws and trade rules of the Oregon Seed Association and to conduct the member’s business in accordance with its objectives and purposes.
To assure that in all sales and contracts of sale and advertisements, the members of the Association shall practice entire good faith, shall give full and truthful representations of the quality and description of seeds sold or offered for sale and in their trade relations shall studiously avoid the use of terms of expressions that are false or misleading.
To represent member firms before and to cooperate with committees of the Legislature, administrative officials and commissions of the State to the end that the interests of its member firms shall be thoroughly and adequately considered and understood in relation to contemplated legislation, rules, regulations and administrative orders. To gather and disseminate information. To make factual surveys and investigations. To prepare and publish to its membership bulletins, and digests which will increase the knowledge of its members as to their respective rights and privileges.
OSA Ethics Standards
Any of the following actions are considered a breach of full and truthful representation of the quality and description of seed sold or offered for sale resulting in a violation of the Articles and Bylaws of the Association. Such breaches of the OSA Ethics, when directed to the attention of the OSA Board of Directors, shall result in due process by the executive committee.
I. Intentionally misrepresenting seed offered for sale in any of the following ways but not limited to:
A. Packaging seed of unknown variety in variety branded bags.
B. Packaging seed of one variety in the branded bags of another variety.
C. Labeling (tagging) of seed as a variety other than its known variety.
D. Representing a public variety as a private variety or vice versa.
E. Selling seed of one lot on the test of another.
F. Changing the lot number on seed bags for the purpose of disguising or misrepresenting crop year or cleaning warehouse.
G. Altering or substituting seed samples prior to testing.
H. Misrepresenting the origin of seed on analysis tag or bag.
I. Misrepresenting blend or mixture components as to variety or origin.
II. Falsifying documents including but not limited to:
A. Altering in any way state, federal or commercial tests, tags or reports.
B. Altering or counterfeiting any state, federal or commercial document, test, certificate, tag or report.
C. Use of government or certifying agency issued tags on any lot other than for which the tags were originally issued.
III. Misuse of others property, including but not limited to:
A. The use of another’s germplasm for variety development, prior to its release as a variety without the knowledge or consent of its owner.
B. The planting of another’s protected variety without the owner’s knowledge and permission. This includes the practice of “drill box blending.”
C. The purchase or sale of a company’s protected or contracted variety without the owner first having sold that variety into the trade or granting a release for production or sale.
(No member or individual shall be disciplined without due process, which is afforded in the OSA Bylaws).
