Title 3.2. Agriculture, Animal Care, and Food
Subtitle III. Production and Sale of Agricultural Products
Chapter 37. Agriculture Liming Materials
Chapter 37. Agriculture Liming Materials.
§ 3.2-3700. Definitions.As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:
"Agricultural liming material" means any limestone with calcium and magnesium compounds that has the capacity, and whose intended purpose is, to neutralize soil acidity.
"Applicant" means the person who applies for, or requests, a license, or applies for registration of any liming material; or applies to become a contractor.
"Brand" means the term, designation, trademark, product name or other specific designation under which any liming material is offered for sale.
"Bulk" means materials in nonpackaged form.
"Calcium carbonate equivalent" means the acid neutralizing capacity of any liming material, expressed as weight percentage of calcium carbonate.
"Contractor" means any person required to hold a permit to sell any bulk liming material to the consumer pursuant to § 3.2-3704.
"Distributor" means any person who imports or consigns, manufactures, produces, compounds, mixes, or blends any liming material, or who offers for sale, sells, barters or otherwise supplies any liming material.
"Effective Neutralizing Value" or "ENV" means a relative value using the calcium oxide content, magnesium oxide content and fineness to express the effectiveness of an agricultural liming material in neutralizing soil acidity. This term is synonymous with Effective Neutralizing Power (ENP).
"Fineness" means the percentage by weight of the material that will pass through United States Standards sieves of specified sizes.
"Industrial co-product used to neutralize soil acid" means a waste or by-product of an industrial process that contains any compound not normally found in limestone that has the capacity, and whose intended purpose is, to neutralize soil acidity.
"Kind" means one of the two classes of liming material.
"Label" means any written or printed matter on, or attached to, the package, or on the delivery ticket that accompanies bulk shipments, of any liming material.
"Licensed" or "licensee" means the person issued a license to distribute any liming material in the Commonwealth.
"Limestone" means a material consisting essentially of calcium carbonate, or a combination of calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate, capable of neutralizing soil acidity.
"Liming material" means any agricultural liming material and any industrial co-product used to neutralize soil acid.
"Manufacturer" means any person who manufactures, produces, compounds, mixes, blends, imports or consigns liming material, or who offers for sale, sells, barters or otherwise supplies liming material.
"Percent" or "percentage" means by weight.
"Quantity statement" means the net weight (mass), net volume (liquid or dry), count or other form of measurement of a commodity.
"Registrant" means the person registering any liming material pursuant to the provisions of this chapter.
"Standard liming ton" means a ton of agricultural liming material with a calcium carbonate equivalent of 90 percent.
"Stop sale, use, removal or seizure order" means an order that prohibits the distributor from selling, relocating, using, or disposing of a lot of liming material, or portion thereof, in any manner, until the Commissioner or a court gives written permission to sell, relocate, use or dispose of the lot of liming material or portion thereof.
"Ton" means a unit of 2,000 pounds avoirdupois weight.
"Type" means the identification of the agricultural liming material as follows:
1. "Burnt" means any agricultural liming material with calcium and magnesium compounds capable of neutralizing soil acidity, and that consists essentially of calcium oxide, or a combination of calcium oxide and magnesium oxide.
2. "Calcitic" means any agricultural liming material in which 85 percent or more of the total neutralizing value, expressed as calcium carbonate equivalent, is derived from calcium.
3. "Dolomitic" means any agricultural liming material in which 15 percent or more of the total carbonate content is magnesium carbonate.
4. "Hydrated" means any agricultural liming material, made from burnt lime, that consists essentially of: (i) calcium hydroxide; (ii) a combination of calcium hydroxide, magnesium oxide and magnesium hydroxide; or (iii) a combination of calcium hydroxide, and either magnesium oxide or magnesium hydroxide.
5. "Marl" means a granular or loosely consolidated earthy agricultural liming material composed largely of calcium carbonate.
A. The Board may adopt such regulations as are necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter. Such regulations may include to investigational allowances, definitions, records, manufacturing practices and the distribution and storage of liming material.
B. The Commissioner may adopt, as a regulation:
1. The Official Fertilizer Terms and Definitions adopted by the Association of American Plant Food Control Officials;
2. The methods of sampling and analysis for liming material adopted by the Association of Official Analytical Chemists; and
3. Any method of sampling and analysis for liming material developed by the Department or adopted by agencies of the federal government, agencies of other states, the Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services, or other commercial laboratories accredited by the Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture or Association of Official Analytical Chemists.
C. Such regulations adopted by the Commissioner shall be effective upon filing with the Registrar of Regulations, who shall publish the regulation as a final regulation in the Virginia Register of Regulations. The regulation shall contain a preamble stating that the Board will receive, consider, and respond to petitions by any interested person at any time with respect to reconsideration or revision of such regulation.
D. The Board, after giving notice in the Virginia Register of Regulations, may reconsider and revise the regulation adopted by the Commissioner. Such revised regulation shall be effective upon filing with the Registrar of Regulations, who shall publish the regulation as a final regulation in the Virginia Register of Regulations.
E. Neither the provisions of the Administrative Process Act (§ 2.2-4000 et seq.) nor public participation guidelines adopted pursuant thereto shall apply to the adoption, reconsideration or revision of any regulation adopted pursuant to subsections B, C, and D.
A. Any distributor of agricultural liming material in the Commonwealth shall register each brand by July 1 for the registration year July 1 through June 30, before distributing any agricultural liming material in the Commonwealth. Each distributor shall submit an application for registration to the Commissioner on forms furnished or approved by the Commissioner and shall pay to the Commissioner a registration fee of $50 per brand of agricultural liming material per registration year. Upon approval by the Commissioner, the Commissioner shall furnish a copy of the registration to the applicant. Each registration shall expire on June 30 of the registration year for which the Commissioner issued the registration. Any registration shall be valid through July 31 of the next registration year or until issuance of the renewal registration, whichever occurs first, if the holder of the registration has filed a renewal application with the Commissioner on or before June 30 of the registration year for which the Commissioner issued the registration.
B. Any distributor of any brand of industrial co-product used to neutralize soil acid in the Commonwealth shall register each brand by July 1 of each year for the registration year of July 1 to June 30, before distributing any industrial co-product used to neutralize soil acid in the Commonwealth. Each distributor shall submit an application for registration to the Commissioner on forms furnished or approved by the Commissioner and shall pay to the Commissioner a registration fee of $100 per brand of industrial co-product used to neutralize soil acid per registration year. The Commissioner shall furnish a copy of the registration to the applicant. Each registration shall expire on June 30 of the registration year for which the Commissioner issued the registration. Every such registration shall be valid through July 31 of the next registration year or until issuance of the renewal registration, whichever occurs first, if the holder of the registration has filed a renewal application with the Commissioner on or before June 30 of the registration year for which the Commissioner issued the registration.
Any distributor making application to register any brand of industrial co-product used to neutralize soil acid shall submit to the Commissioner test data indicating the product's neutralizing value, and its safety to plants and animals.
C. If the Commissioner identifies any unregistered liming material in commerce in the Commonwealth during the registration year, the Commissioner shall grant a grace period of 15 working days from issuance of notification to the distributor of the liming material to register the liming material without penalty. Any distributor who fails to register each brand of liming material being distributed by him in the Commonwealth by the 15th day of the grace period, shall pay to the Commissioner a $50 late fee per brand of liming material in addition to the registration fee, as well as cause a stop sale, use, removal or seizure order to be issued upon said liming material until its registration is complete.
D. A distributor shall not be required to register any brand of liming material or liming material with added potash, if it has been duly registered under this chapter by another person, provided the label on the liming material the other person registered does not differ in any respect from the label on the liming material the distributor seeks to register.
1974, c. 647, § 3.1-126.4; 1994, c. 649; 2002, c. 473; 2008, c. 860.
A. Any person who manufactures or whose name appears on the label of any liming material to be distributed in the Commonwealth shall by July 1 of each year, or prior to distribution of such liming material, obtain a license for the licensing year of July 1 to June 30. Each person shall make application on forms furnished or approved by the Commissioner and shall pay a license fee of $50 per licensing year per distributor. Each license shall expire on June 30 of the license year for which the Commissioner issued the license. Every such license shall be valid through July 31 of the next licensing year or until issuance of the renewal license, whichever occurs first, if the holder of the license filed a renewal application with the Commissioner on or before June 30 of the licensing year for which the Commissioner issued the license.
B. The Commissioner shall grant to any person who has failed to obtain a license required by subsection A, a grace period of 15 working days from issuance of notification to obtain a license without a penalty. Any person who fails to obtain a license by the 15th day of the grace period shall pay to the Commissioner a $50 late fee in addition to the license fee, as well as cause a stop sale, use, removal or seizure order to be issued on any liming material the person distributes until the person obtains the required license.
1974, c. 647, § 3.1-126.4; 1994, c. 649; 2002, c. 473; 2008, c. 860.
A. It is unlawful for any person, other than a registrant or licensee, to sell bulk liming material unless the person: (i) obtains a license by completing a contractor application form furnished or approved by the Commissioner and pays the $50 annual fee required to be a contractor; (ii) is an employee or agent of a contractor who holds a valid permit, in which case no permit is required and no fee is due from the employee or agent; or (iii) holds a valid permit to be a contractor-applicator pursuant to subsection A of § 3.2-3608, or is an employee or agent of person holding a valid permit to be a contractor-applicator pursuant to subsection A of § 3.2-3608, in which case no additional permit is required and no additional fee is due. Each permit to do business as a contractor shall expire on June 30 of the permitting year for which the Commissioner issued the permit. Every such permit shall be valid through July 31 of the next permitting year or until issuance of the renewal permit, whichever occurs first, if the holder of the permit has filed a renewal application with the Commissioner on or before June 30 of the permitting year for which the Commissioner issued the permit.
B. The Commissioner shall grant to a contractor who has failed to obtain a contractor's permit to do business during the permitting year a grace period of 15 working days, starting upon issuance of notification, to obtain the permit without the payment of a late fee. If the contractor fails to obtain a permit by the 15th day of the grace period, the contractor shall pay to the Commissioner a $50 late fee in addition to the permit fee, and the Commissioner shall cause a stop sale, use, removal or seizure order to be issued on any liming material the contractor sells until the contractor obtains the required permit.
C. The contractor shall guarantee the consumer that the contractor shall comply with all provisions of this chapter that apply to the sale and delivery of bulk liming material.
1974, c. 647, § 3.1-126.4; 1994, c. 649; 2002, c. 473; 2008, c. 860.
A. By August 1 of each year, each person who distributes liming material to a nonlicensed person shall submit on a form furnished or approved by the Commissioner a tonnage statement for the reporting year July 1 through June 30 of each year documenting the number of tons of each liming material sold by the distributor for use in each county or city in the Commonwealth. Each person distributing liming material in the Commonwealth to a nonlicensed person shall file a statement with the Commissioner and shall pay to the Commissioner an inspection fee of five cents ($0.05) per ton of liming material sold per reporting year. The minimum inspection fee shall be $35 per distributor per reporting year. If the distributor fails to submit the tonnage statement and pay the inspection fee by August 1 of each year, the Commissioner shall notify the distributor and grant a grace period of 15 working days from issuance of notification for the distributor to submit the tonnage statement and to pay the inspection fee without penalty. If the distributor fails to submit the tonnage statement and pay the inspection fee by the time the 15th day of the grace period has expired, the distributor shall pay to the Commissioner a late fee of 10 percent of the inspection fee, or $50, whichever is greater, per reporting year in addition to the inspection fee due.
B. Any distributor required to pay an inspection fee under subsection A shall use generally accepted accounting principles that indicate in the distributor's records the tonnage of liming materials sold by the distributor in the Commonwealth. The Commissioner may inspect the distributor's records that the distributor shall maintain for a period of three years.
C. Any person who distributes liming materials to a nonlicensed person:
1. Shall file the tonnage statement with the Commissioner and pay to the Commissioner the inspection fee; or
2. Shall not be required to file the tonnage statement or pay the inspection fee, if: (i) another person agrees in a written statement, filed with the Commissioner, to pay the inspection fee and file the tonnage statement by August 1 of each year; and (ii) he files with the Commissioner by August 1 of each year a purchasing report stating the number of tons the person purchased during the reporting year and from whom the liming material was purchased. The report shall be made on a form furnished or approved by the Commissioner.
D. The Commissioner may publish and distribute, to each liming material registrant and other interested persons, a composite report showing the tons of liming material sold in each county of the Commonwealth. This report shall in no way divulge the operation of any registrant or licensee.
1974, c. 647, § 3.1-126.5; 1976, c. 91; 1994, c. 649; 2008, c. 860.
A. Any liming material sold, offered or exposed for sale in the Commonwealth shall have affixed to the outside of each package in a conspicuous manner, a plainly printed, stamped or otherwise marked label, tag or statement, or in the case of bulk sales, a statement on the delivery slip, setting forth in the English language at least the following information:
1. The quantity statement of the liming material;
2. The brand or trade name of the liming material;
3. In the case of agricultural liming material, the identification of the type of the agricultural liming material as defined under § 3.2-3700, including the chemical analysis corresponding to the type definition;
4. The minimum percentage of available potash, if potash has been added to the liming material;
5. Calcium carbonate equivalent of the liming material as determined by procedures of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists in its most recent publication. Minimum calcium carbonate equivalents as prescribed by regulation;
6. The Effective Neutralizing Value of the liming material as calculated using the following formula:
(percent by weight passing 20 mesh sieves - percent by weight passing 60 mesh sieves) x 0.4 = (a)
(percent by weight passing 60 mesh sieves - percent by weight passing 100 mesh sieves) x 0.8 = (b)
(percent by weight passing 100 mesh sieves) x 1.0 = (c)
[(a+b+c) x Calcium Carbonate Equivalent (CCE)] divided by 100 = ENV;
7. The minimum percentage by weight passing through United States Standard sieves as prescribed by regulations; and
8. The name and principal office address of the manufacturer or distributor of the liming material.
B. For any fluid liming material or any packaged liming material-fertilizer mixture, the label shall also include the following information:
1. The kind of liming material used in the manufacture of the product;
2. The type of agricultural liming material used in the manufacture of the product, if applicable;
3. The guaranteed analysis of the final product; and
4. A statement setting forth the equivalency of the calcium carbonate equivalent of the fluid liming material or liming material-fertilizer mixture to the calcium carbonate equivalent of a standard liming ton.
C. For any bulk liming material-fertilizer mixture, except when the ingredients are billed separately, the label shall also include the following information:
1. The kind of liming material used in the manufacture of the product;
2. The type of agricultural liming material used in the manufacture of the product, if applicable;
3. The guaranteed analysis of the final product; and
4. A statement setting forth the equivalency of the calcium carbonate equivalent of the fluid liming material or liming material-fertilizer mixture to the calcium carbonate equivalent of a standard liming ton.
D. If the ingredients of the bulk liming material-fertilizer mixture are billed separately, the label shall also include the following information:
1. The kind of liming material used in the manufacture of the product;
2. The type of agricultural liming material used in the manufacture of the product, if applicable;
3. The dry weight of the liming material used in the manufacture of the product before mixing;
4. The guaranteed analysis of the liming material used in the manufacture of the product before mixing; and
5. The guaranteed analysis of the fertilizer used in the manufacture of the product before mixing.
E. For any industrial co-product used to neutralize soil acid, the product label shall include the statement "Industrial co-product used to neutralize soil acid." If the product is below the Virginia minimum standard requirements for an agricultural liming material as defined in the regulations, the statement "Substandard liming material" shall also be on the label.
F. All liming material shall be labeled as registered with the Commissioner.
G. No information or statement shall appear on any package, label, delivery slip or advertising matter that is false or misleading to the purchaser as to the quality, analysis, kind, type or composition of the liming material.
H. In the case of any liming material that has been adulterated subsequent to packaging, labeling or loading, and before delivery to the consumer, a plainly marked notice to that effect shall be affixed by the vendor to the package or delivery slip to identify the kind and degree of such adulteration.
I. The Board may require by regulation that the minimum percentage of calcium oxide, magnesium oxide, calcium carbonate, and magnesium carbonate shall be expressed in the following form:
Total Calcium (Ca)..…%
Total Magnesium (Mg)..…%
A. The Commissioner shall sample, inspect, analyze, and test liming material distributed within the Commonwealth to determine whether such liming material is in compliance with the provisions of this chapter. The Commissioner may enter upon any public or private premises during operating hours, or any carrier, in order to have access to liming material that is subject to the provisions of this chapter and regulations hereunder, and to the records relating to its distribution.
B. The Commissioner shall distribute the results of official analyses of liming material and portions of official samples of liming material as provided in regulations.
A. The Commissioner may issue and enforce a written or printed stop sale, use, removal or seizure order to the owner or custodian of any lot of liming material being offered or exposed for sale in violation of any of the provisions of this chapter. Such order may provide that such liming material be held at a designated place until the owner or custodian of such lot of liming material has complied with this chapter and the Commissioner has released the liming material in writing, or such violation has been otherwise legally disposed of by written authority.
B. The owner or custodian of such liming material shall have the right to review in accordance with the provisions of the Administrative Process Act (§ 2.2-4000 et seq.).
C. The provisions of this section shall not be construed: (i) as limiting the right of the Commissioner to proceed as authorized by other provisions of this chapter; or (ii) as limiting or prohibiting the operation of § 2.2-4028.
1974, c. 647, § 3.1-126.7; 1986, c. 615; 1994, c. 649; 2008, c. 860.
A. Any person convicted of violating any provision of this chapter or the regulations adopted hereunder shall be subject to a penalty of not less than $25 nor more than $200 to be enforced by a summary proceeding in an appropriate court.
B. The Commissioner shall make an assessment for variance from guarantee in accordance with the regulations established by the Board, not to exceed $5,000 per occurrence, when any shipment of liming material that the Commissioner samples and upon analysis, fails to meet the guarantee for chemicals, neutralizing value, or screen size.
C. The person whose name appears on the label of the violative lot of liming material shall pay the assessment for variance from guarantee assessed by the Commissioner. The person assessed shall obtain a receipt signed by the purchaser for each payment, and promptly forward the receipt to the Commissioner. The person whose name appears on the label of the violative lot of liming material shall pay the assessment for variance from guarantee within 60 days from date of notice to the person assessed. If the purchaser cannot be found, or if the amount due any one purchaser is less than one dollar ($1.00), the person whose name appears on the label of the violative lot of liming material shall pay the assessment for variance from guaranty to the Commissioner, who shall deposit the same in the state treasury, and report to the State Comptroller, who shall credit the same to the Sale of Substandard Liming Material Fund, which fund is hereby created. The fund shall be a special nonreverting fund in the state treasury, to be disbursed as provided in subsection D.
D. Such funds as shall thereafter be found to be payable to the purchasers of lots of liming material on which the assessments for variance from guaranty were made shall be paid from the Sale of Substandard Liming Material Fund on order of the Commissioner. The State Comptroller shall transfer any balance remaining in such Fund for a period of 90 days to the credit of the fund specified in § 3.2-3710.
All fees, penalties, funds (including those transferred as specified in subsection D of § 3.2-3709 and except as provided in subsection C of § 3.2-3709), and assessments under this chapter that the Commissioner receives shall be paid into the Feed, Lime, Fertilizer, and Animal Remedies Fund, established in § 3.2-3617, to be used in carrying out the purpose and provisions of this chapter, to include inspection, sampling and other expenses; except that the Commissioner shall deposit, to the credit of the Virginia Agricultural Foundation Fund, five cents ($0.05) per ton of liming material sold per reporting year of the inspection fee.
The Commissioner may seize any liming material belonging to any person whose name appears on the label of the violative lot of liming material, if such person fails to pay the assessment for variance from guarantee within 60 days after the Commissioner has given notice to such person.
Any person aggrieved by any action of the Commissioner under provisions of this chapter shall have the right to review in accordance with the provisions of the Administrative Process Act (§ 2.2-4000 et seq.).
1974, c. 647, § 3.1-126.10; 1986, c. 615; 1994, c. 649; 2008, c. 860.
Nothing in this chapter shall require the Commissioner to report for prosecution, or institute seizure proceedings, where the Commissioner considers the violations of this chapter to be minor. In such cases, the Commissioner may serve a suitable notice of warning in writing, when he believes that the public interest will be best served by so doing.
It shall be the duty of each attorney for the Commonwealth with responsibility for the enforcement of this chapter, and to whom any violation is reported, to commence proceedings and prosecute in an appropriate court without delay.
A. It is unlawful to:
1. Sell or offer to sell any liming material unless it complies with provisions of this chapter;
2. Sell or offer for sale liming material that contains toxic materials in quantities injurious to plants or animals; and
3. Hinder or obstruct in any way the Commissioner in the performance of his official duties.
B. Any person who violates any provision of this chapter is guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor.
