The Federal Seed Act, P.L. 76-354 (August 9, 1939), requires accurate labeling and purity standards for seeds in commerce, and prohibits the importation and movement of adulterated or misbranded seeds. The law works in conjunction with the
Plant Protection Act of 2000
The Plant Protection Act (PPA) (part of ) is a US statute relating to plant pests and noxious weeds introduced in 2000. It is currently codified at 7 U.S.C. 7701 ''et seq''. It consolidates related responsibilities that were previously spread ove ...
to authorize the
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to regulate the importation of field crop, pasture and forage, or vegetable seed that may contain noxious weed seeds. USDA's
Agricultural Marketing Service is responsible for enforcing the labeling and purity standard provisions.
Titles of the Act
Title 7 Chapter 37 was authored as four titles establishing
agricultural policy for the specifications of
forage
Forage is a plant material (mainly plant leaves and stems) eaten by grazing livestock. Historically, the term ''forage'' has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used m ...
and
vegetable
Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems, ...
seed
A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...
s.
:Title I - Definitions - ''7 U.S.C. §§ 1561-1562''
::Construction with respect to labeling for variety and origin
::Agricultural seeds
::Vegetable seeds
::Weed seeds
::Noxious weed seeds
::Origin, kind, variety, and type of seeds
::Germination
::Hard seeds
::Pure live seed
::Label and labeling of seeds
::Advertisement
::Subject to prescribed tolerances
::False labeling and false advertisement
::Screenings
::In bulk
:Title II - Interstate Commerce - ''7 U.S.C. §§ 1571-1575''
::Prohibitions Relating to Interstate Commerce in Certain Seeds
::Records
::Exemptions
::Disclaimers and Nonwarranties
::False Advertising
:Title III - Foreign Commerce - ''7 U.S.C. §§ 1581-1586''
::Prohibitions and Procedures Relating to Importations
::Adulterated Seed
::Seed Unfit for Seeding Purposes
::Certain Seeds Required to be Stained
::Certain Acts Prohibited
:Title IV - General Provisions - ''7 U.S.C. §§ 1591-1610''
::Delegation of Duties
::Rules and Regulations
::Standards, Tests, and Tolerances
::Prohibition Against Alterations
::Seizure
::Penalties
::Cease and Desist Proceedings
::Separability of Proceedings
::Publication
::Authorization for Appropriations
::Authorization for Expenditures
::Cooperation
::Separability of Provisions
::Repeals
::Effective Date
Amendments to 1939 Act
U.S. Congressional amendments to the Federal Seed Act.
See also
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Plant Disease Bulletin
*
Seed bank
References
External links
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{{US farm acts
1939 in law
1939 in American law
76th United States Congress
United States Department of Agriculture
Seeds
United States federal agriculture legislation