Bill Text: CA AB2470 | 2013-2014 | Regular Session | Introduced
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: California Seed Law.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2014-08-25 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 294, Statutes of 2014. [AB2470 Detail]
Download: California-2013-AB2470-Introduced.html
Bill Title: California Seed Law.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2014-08-25 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 294, Statutes of 2014. [AB2470 Detail]
Download: California-2013-AB2470-Introduced.html
BILL NUMBER: AB 2470 INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Salas FEBRUARY 21, 2014 An act to amend Sections 52256.5, 52288, and 52452 of the Food and Agricultural Code, relating to seed. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 2470, as introduced, Salas. California Seed Law. Existing law, the California Seed Law, regulates seed sold in California, and requires each container of agricultural seed that is for sale or sold within this state for sowing purposes to be labeled, as specified, unless the sale is an occasional sale of seed grain by the producer of the seed grain to his neighbor for use by the purchaser within the county of production. Existing law defines "person" for purposes of that law to mean an individual, partnership, trust association, cooperative association, or any other business unit or organization. This bill would clarify that definition of "person" to include corporations. The bill would also clarify the term "neighbor" for purposes of the labeling requirements specified above to mean a person who lives in close proximity, not to exceed 3 miles, to another. The bill would revise a statement of legislative intent to include ensuring that the amount of seed represented on a tag or label is properly identified. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 52256.5 of the Food and Agricultural Code is amended to read: 52256.5. "Person" also means any individual, partnership, corporation, trust association, cooperative association, or any other business unit or organization. SEC. 2. Section 52288 of the Food and Agricultural Code is amended to read: 52288. The Legislature hereby declares that it is the intent of this chapter to enable the seed industry, with the aid of the state, to ensure that seed purchased by the consumer-buyer is properly identified and of the quality and amount represented on the tag or label. The Legislature further declares that the success of agriculture and the seed industry in this state depends upon the continued commitment toindustry fundedindustry-funded research in order to improve the quality and variety of seed available to the consumer-buyer. SEC. 3. Section 52452 of the Food and Agricultural Code is amended to read: 52452. (a) Except as otherwise provided in Section 52454, each container of agricultural seedwhichthat is for sale or sold within this state for sowing purposes, unless the sale is an occasional sale of seed grain by the producer of the seed grain to his or her neighbor for use by the purchaser within the county of production, shall bear upon it or have attached to it in a conspicuous place a plainly written or printed label or tag in the Englishlanguage, which giveslanguage that includes all of the following information:(a) Commonly(1) The commonly accepted name of the kind, kind and variety, or kind and type of each agricultural seed component in excess of 5 percent of the whole, and the percentage by weight of each. If the aggregate of agricultural seed components, each present in an amount not exceeding 5 percent of the whole, exceeds 10 percent of the whole, each component in excess of 1 percent of the whole shall be named together with the percentage by weight of each. If more than one component is required to be named, the names of all components shall be shown in letters of the same type and size.(b) Lot(2) The lot number or other lot identification.(c) Percentage(3) The percentage by weight of all weed seeds.(d)(4) The name and approximate number of each kind of restricted noxious weed seed per pound.(e) Percentage(5) The percentage by weight of any agricultural seed except that which is required to be named on the label.(f) Percentage(6) The percentage by weight of inert matter. If a percentage by weight is required to be shown by any provision of thissection suchsection, that percentage shall be exclusive of any substancewhichthat is added to the seed as a coating and shown on the label as such.(g)(7) For each agriculturalseed,seed in excess of 5 percent of the whole, stated in accordance withsubdivision (a) of this section,paragraph (1), the percentage ofgermination,germination exclusive of hardseed;seed, the percentage of hard seed, ifpresent;present, and the calendar month and year the test was completed to determinesuchthe percentages. Following the statement ofsuchthose percentages, the additional statement "total germination and hard seed" may bestated as such, if desired.stated.(h) Name(8) The name and address of the personthatwho labeled theseed,seed or of the personthatwho sells the seed within this state.All(b) All determinations of noxious weed seeds are subject to tolerances and methods of determinationwhich areprescribed in the regulationswhichthat are adopted pursuant to this chapter. (c) For purposes of this section, "neighbor" means a person who lives in close proximity, not to exceed three miles, to another.