Oregon Seed Association Responds to Investigation into Grass Seed Mislabeling & Fraud Charges

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NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—March 4, 2021

Contact: Angie Smith
503-685-7555
smith@pacwestcom.com

 

OREGON SEED ASSOCIATION RESPONDS TO INVESTIGATION INTO GRASS SEED MISLABELING & FRAUD CHARGES

(Wilsonville, Ore.)—In response to the recent article about a former grass seed company manager charged in a fraud and mislabeling scheme, the Oregon Seed Association (OSA) issues the following statement:

The OSA firmly believes in the overall integrity of its members, and that customers who purchase from OSA members can have full confidence in the products they purchase. 

The OSA does not condone the mislabeling of seed by its members and upholds its mission to promote integrity in member business practices. The OSA has been on the leading edge in protecting industry standards in the labeling of seed. To that end, we took the initiative in 2017 to request the Oregon Department of Agriculture investigate instances of seed mislabeling of K31 within the industry, an investigation that continues today. We also appointed representatives to serve on an ODA rules advisory committee to review and revise regulations and increase the penalties and fines for those found in violation, thereby reducing incentives for bad actors looking to increase profit margins. The OSA’s ethics policy requires all members to abide by certain ethical standards in their general business practices. Such standards include full and truthful representation of the quality and description of the seed sold or offered for sale. Such breaches of the ethics standards, when directed to the attention of the OSA Board of Directors and after due process, shall result in suspension or termination of membership in the association. We will continue to monitor the investigation.

If you have any questions about the above, we encourage you to contact any member of the OSA Board of Directors https://oregonseed.org/contact/.

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The Oregon Seed Association (OSA) is a non-profit agricultural trade association representing the interests of Oregon’s world-renowned seed industry. OSA members market and distribute Oregon grass and agricultural seed to more than 70 countries on six continents.