Title 3.2. Agriculture, Animal Care, and Food
Subtitle III. Production and Sale of Agricultural Products
Chapter 48. Commercial Feed
Chapter 48. Commercial Feed.
§ 3.2-4800. Definitions.As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:
"Animal" means any animate being, which is not human, endowed with the power of voluntary action.
"Brand name" means any word, name, symbol, or device, or any combination thereof, identifying the commercial feed of a distributor or registrant and distinguishing it from the commercial feed of other distributors or registrants.
"Commercial feed" means any materials or combination of materials that are distributed or intended for distribution for use as feed for animals, or for mixing in feed. Commercial feed shall not include the following commodities, provided they are not adulterated as provided in § 3.2-4808: unmixed whole seeds, raw meat, raw goats' milk, at the farm only; hay, straw, stover, silage, cobs, husks, hulls, and individual chemical compounds or substances, when not mixed or intermixed with other materials.
"Contract feeder" means a person who is an independent contractor and who: (i) feeds commercial feed to animals pursuant to a contract; (ii) is provided such commercial feed by a licensed distributor; and (iii) receives remuneration as determined all or in part by the amount of feed consumption, mortality, profits, or amount or quality of production.
"Custom mix feed" means a feed for which the customer provides ingredients.
"Customer-formula feed" means commercial feed that consists of a mixture of commercial feeds, or feed ingredients, or a combination of both commercial feeds and feed ingredients, each batch being manufactured according to the specific instructions of the final purchaser.
"Distribute" means to: (i) offer or expose for sale, sell, warehouse, exchange, or barter commercial feed; or (ii) supply, furnish, or otherwise provide commercial feed to a contract feeder.
"Distributor" means any person who distributes commercial feed.
"Drug" means any article intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in animals and articles other than commercial feed intended to affect the structure or any function of the animal body.
"Feed ingredient" means each of the constituent materials making up a commercial feed.
"Guarantor" means any person whose name appears on the label of a commercial feed.
"Label" means a display of written, printed, or graphic matter upon, or affixed to, the container in which a commercial feed is distributed, or on the invoice or delivery slip with which a bulk commercial feed, or customer-formula feed, is distributed.
"Labeling" means all labels and other written, printed, or graphic matter: (i) upon a commercial feed or any of its containers or wrapper; or (ii) accompanying such commercial feed.
"Licensee" means the person who receives a license to distribute commercial feed under the provisions of this chapter.
"Manufacture" means to grind, mix or blend feed ingredients, or further process a commercial feed for distribution.
"Manufacturer" means any person who manufactures commercial feed.
"Medicated feed" means a commercial feed obtained by mixing a commercial feed and a drug.
"Mineral feed" means a commercial feed intended to supply primarily mineral elements or inorganic nutrients.
"Official analysis" means the analysis of an official sample made by the Commissioner.
"Official sample" means a sample of feed taken by the Commissioner and designated as "official" by the Board.
"Percent" or "percentages" means percentage by weight.
"Pet food" means any commercial feed prepared and distributed for consumption by cats and dogs.
"Product name" means the name of the commercial feed that identifies it as to kind, class, or specific use.
"Quantity statement" means the net weight (mass), net volume (liquid or dry), count or other form of measurement of a commodity.
"Small package commercial feed" means commercial feed distributed in individual packages of 10 pounds or less.
"Specialty pet" means any domesticated animal usually maintained in a cage or tank, including gerbils, hamsters, canaries, psittacine birds, mynahs, finches, tropical fish, goldfish, snakes and turtles. Specialty pet does not include dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, and wild birds.
"Specialty pet food" means any commercial feed prepared and distributed for consumption by specialty pets.
"Stop sale, use, removal or seizure order" means an order that prohibits the distributor from selling, relocating, using, or disposing of a lot of commercial feed or portion thereof, in any manner, until the Commissioner or an appropriate court, gives written permission to sell, relocate, use, or dispose of the lot of commercial feed or portion thereof.
"Ton" means a unit of 2,000 pounds avoirdupois weight.
A. The Board may adopt regulations for commercial feeds as are necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter.
B. The Commissioner may adopt as a regulation:
1. The official Definitions of Feed Ingredients, Official Feed Terms, and analytical variations adopted by the Association of American Feed Control Officials and published in the Official Publication of that organization;
2. Any federal regulation that pertains to this chapter, amending it as necessary for intrastate applicability;
3. The methods of sampling and analysis for commercial feed and the components of commercial feed adopted by the Association of Official Analytical Chemists in the publication of that organization; and
4. Any method of sampling and analysis for commercial feed and the components of commercial feed 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.
The Commissioner may publish, in such forms as he may deem proper, information concerning the sales of commercial feeds, together with such data on their production and use as he may consider appropriate.
A. Any person who manufactures a commercial feed or any guarantor shall, before: (i) distributing, selling, offering or exposing for sale in the Commonwealth any commercial feed; or (ii) supplying commercial feed to a contract feeder, obtain a license from the Commissioner. The person who manufactures or is the guarantor of such commercial feed shall submit a license application to the Commissioner on a form furnished or approved by the Commissioner, and pay to the Commissioner a license fee of $50. Any person with multiple manufacturing facilities shall obtain a license and pay a license fee to the Commissioner for each manufacturing facility that distributes commercial feed in Virginia. The license year shall be January 1 through December 31. Each license shall expire on December 31 of the year for which it is issued. Any license shall be valid through January 31 of the next ensuing year or until the issuance of the renewal license, whichever event occurs first, if the holder of the license has filed a renewal application with the Commissioner on or before December 31 of the year for which the current license was issued. Any new applicant who fails to obtain a license within 15 working days of notification of the requirement to obtain a license, or any licensee who fails to comply with license renewal requirements, shall pay a $50 late fee to the Commissioner in addition to the license fee. The Commissioner may issue a stop sale, use, removal, or seizure order on any commercial feed that the nonlicensee produces or distributes in the Commonwealth until such license is issued.
B. The Commissioner shall not issue a license to any person not in compliance with any provision of this chapter, and shall revoke the license of any person subsequently found not to be in compliance with any provision of this chapter.
A. Any person who distributes: (i) medicated feed; (ii) small package commercial feed; or (iii) specialty pet food shall register those commercial feeds with the Commissioner and pay to the Commissioner the registration fees specified in this section. It is unlawful for any person to distribute medicated feed, small package commercial feed, or specialty pet food in the Commonwealth without first obtaining a registration certificate from the Commissioner.
B. The registration year for medicated feed, small package commercial feed, and specialty pet food shall be January 1 through December 31. Each registration shall expire on December 31 of the year for which it is issued. Any registration shall be valid through January 31 of the next ensuing year or until the issuance of the renewal registration, whichever event occurs first, if the holder of the registration has filed a renewal application with the Commissioner on or before December 31 of the year for which the current registration was issued. Any person who fails to comply with registration renewal requirements shall pay a $50 late fee to the Commissioner in addition to the registration fee. The Commissioner may issue a stop sale, use, removal, or seizure order on any nonregistered commercial feed until such registration is issued.
C. Every manufacturer or guarantor of a medicated feed, except for customer-formula medicated feed, distributed in the Commonwealth shall: (i) apply for registration for each medicated feed on forms furnished or approved by the Commissioner; (ii) pay a registration fee of $50 per medicated feed to the Commissioner by January 1; and (iii) submit a copy of the proposed label for such medicated feed for approval with the registration form. The manufacturer or guarantor is not required to register additional package sizes of the same medicated feed.
D. Every manufacturer or guarantor of small package commercial feed shall: (i) apply for registration for each small package commercial feed on forms furnished or approved by the Commissioner; (ii) pay a registration fee of $50 to the Commissioner by January 1 per small package commercial feed, in lieu of an inspection fee for this size package; and (iii) submit a copy of any label, used or proposed to be used with the small package commercial feed for approval with the registration form.
E. Every manufacturer or guarantor of a specialty pet food distributed in the Commonwealth in individual packages of one pound or less shall: (i) apply for registration for each specialty pet food in individual packages of one pound or less only on forms furnished or approved by the Commissioner; (ii) pay a registration fee of $35 to the Commissioner by January 1 per specialty pet food to a maximum of $700 for this size package, in lieu of the inspection fee; and (iii) submit a copy of any label, used or proposed to be used with the specialty pet food, for approval with the registration form.
F. If the Commissioner, after examination and investigation, finds that the application and labeling of commercial feed comply with this chapter, the Commissioner shall issue a certificate of registration to the applicant upon payment of the specified registration fee. The granting of registration does not constitute the Commissioner's recommendation or endorsement of the product.
G. If the Commissioner identifies any unregistered commercial feed in commerce in the Commonwealth during the registration year, the Commissioner shall give the guarantor or manufacturer a grace period of 15 working days from issuance of notification of nonregistration to the guarantor or manufacturer within which to register the product. Any guarantor or manufacturer who fails to register the product within the grace period shall pay a $50 late fee to the Commissioner in addition to the registration fee. The Commissioner may issue a stop sale, use, removal, or seizure order upon any commercial feed until the registration is issued.
A. The reporting year for commercial feed tonnage shall be January 1 through December 31. The manufacturer or guarantor shall, by February 1 of the next ensuing year: (i) file the tonnage statement with the Commissioner; and (ii) pay to the Commissioner the inspection fee that shall not be less than $35 per year.
B. The filing of a tonnage report and the inspection fee shall be as follows:
1. Except when distributing to a contract feeder, any person who manufactures or distributes commercial feed or a component of commercial feed under his label in the Commonwealth, including a person who mixes, mills, or processes customer-formula feed, shall file with the Commissioner a tonnage statement and pay to the Commissioner an inspection fee of seven cents ($0.07) per ton of commercial feed per reporting year.
2. Any person who distributes commercial feed to contract feeders in the Commonwealth shall file with the Commissioner a tonnage statement and pay to the Commissioner an inspection fee of seven cents ($0.07) per ton of commercial feed distributed to contract feeders per reporting year.
3. Any person who distributes commercial feed to a nonlicensed person:
a. Shall file the tonnage statement with the Commissioner and pay to the Commissioner the inspection fee as specified in this subsection; or
b. 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 file the tonnage statement and pay the inspection fee by February 1; and (ii) he files with the Commissioner by February 1 a purchasing report on a form furnished or approved by the Commissioner stating the number of tons of commercial feed purchased during the reporting year and from whom the commercial feed was purchased.
C. The Commissioner shall not require a person to pay an inspection fee on a portion of a custom-mix feed that is produced by the purchaser or acquired by the purchaser from a source other than the person who is paying the inspection fee.
D. The manufacturer or guarantor shall report commercial feed tonnage and pay the inspection fee on all packages of the same product name or brand name of any commercial feed registered under this section, sold in packages of greater than 10 pounds, as required by this section.
E. Any person who is liable for an inspection fee that is due, and has not been paid to the Commissioner, within 15 working days following February 1, shall pay to the Commissioner a late fee of 10 percent of the inspection fee due, or $50, whichever is greater, in addition to the amount of inspection fee owed. The assessment of this late fee shall not prevent the Commissioner from taking other action, as provided for in this chapter.
F. Any person required to pay an inspection fee, or to report commercial feed tonnage, under this chapter shall keep such records as may be necessary or required by the Commissioner to indicate accurately: (i) the tonnage of commercial feed; (ii) the product names of any medicated feeds; (iii) the product names of any small package commercial feeds; and (iv) the product names of any specialty pet products distributed by the person in the Commonwealth. The person who reports commercial feed tonnage shall retain such records for a period of three years. The Commissioner may examine such records to verify reported statements of tonnage.
A. The manufacturer or guarantor of a commercial feed, except customer-formula or custom mix feed, shall affix a label to the commercial feed that states in the English language the following information:
1. The quantity statement;
2. The product name and, if any, the brand name of the commercial feed;
3. The guaranteed analysis, the terms of which the Board shall determine by regulation so as to advise the user of the composition of the feed, or to support claims made in the labeling. In all cases, the substances or elements shall be determinable by laboratory methods of sampling and analysis, as specified in § 3.2-4801;
4. The common or usual name of each ingredient used in the manufacture of the commercial feed. The Board may, by regulation: (i) permit the use of a collective term for a group of ingredients that perform a similar function; or (ii) exempt such commercial feeds, or any group of ingredients, from this requirement if the Board finds that such statement is not required in the interest of consumers;
5. The name and principal mailing address of the manufacturer, or the person responsible for distributing the commercial feed, if such person is not the manufacturer;
6. Directions for use in the case of all commercial feeds containing drugs, and for such other feeds as the Board may, by regulation, require as necessary for the safe and effective use of the commercial feed; and
7. Any precautionary statements as the Board, by regulation, determines are necessary for the safe and effective use of the commercial feed.
B. The manufacturer or guarantor of a customer-formula or custom mix feed shall affix to or include with the feed a label, invoice, delivery slip, or other shipping document that states in the English language the following information:
1. The name and address of the manufacturer;
2. The name and address of the purchaser;
3. The date of manufacture;
4. Either: (i) the product name and net weight of each commercial feed and each other ingredient used in the mixture; (ii) the guaranteed analysis, as provided in subdivision A 3 with the ingredients as provided in subdivision A 4; (iii) identification by means of an identifying name, number or similar designation, where the manufacturer or guarantor furnishes all ingredients for a customer-formula feed, provided that the manufacturer or guarantor makes available a copy of the list of ingredients to the Commissioner at the location where the Commissioner takes an official sample; or (iv) the manufacturer or guarantor notes a modification on the label of a commercial feed where the manufacturer or guarantor modifies a commercial feed in normal trade at the request of the consumer, and such request does not affect the guaranteed analysis of said feed;
5. Directions for use for all customer formula or custom mix feeds containing drugs and for such other feeds as the Board may require, by regulation, as necessary for the safe and effective use of the commercial feed;
6. The directions for use and precautionary statements as required by subdivisions A 6 and A 7; and
7. If drugs are used in formulating the commercial feed: (i) the purpose of the medication (claim statement); and (ii) the established name of each active drug ingredient, and the level of each drug used in the final mixture, expressed in accordance with applicable regulations.
A. It is unlawful for any person who is a manufacturer or guarantor of commercial feed to distribute a commercial feed if:
1. The labeling of the commercial feed is false or misleading in any particular;
2. The commercial feed is distributed under the name of another commercial feed;
3. The commercial feed is labeled in any manner other than as required in § 3.2-4806;
4. The commercial feed purports to be, or is represented as, a commercial feed, or if it purports to contain, or is represented as containing, a commercial feed ingredient, unless such commercial feed or feed ingredient conforms to the definition, if any, prescribed by regulation by the Board; or
5. Any word, statement, or other information required by, or under authority of, this chapter to appear on the label or labeling of the commercial feed is not prominently placed thereon with such conspicuousness, (as compared with other words, statements, designs, or devices in the labeling) and in such terms, so that the purchaser or user is likely to read and understand the label under customary condition of purchase and use.
B. The violation of any provision of this section shall be deemed to be misbranding.
A. It is unlawful for any person who is a manufacturer or guarantor of a commercial feed to distribute a commercial feed if the commercial feed:
1. Contains any poisonous or deleterious substance that may render the commercial feed or its packaging injurious to health, unless the poisonous or deleterious substance is not an added substance and is not of sufficient quantity to render the commercial feed injurious to health under ordinary circumstances;
2. Contains any added poisonous, added deleterious, or added nonnutritive substance that is unsafe within the meaning of Section 406 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. If the substance is a food additive or a pesticide chemical in or on a raw agricultural commodity, then subdivisions A 3 and A 4 shall govern;
3. Is, bears, or contains any food additive that is unsafe within the meaning of Section 409 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act;
4. Is a raw agricultural commodity and it bears or contains a pesticide chemical that is unsafe within the meaning of Section 408 (a) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. If a pesticide chemical has been used in or on a raw agricultural commodity in conformity within an exemption granted, or a tolerance prescribed, under Section 408 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and such raw agricultural commodity has been subjected to processing such as canning, cooking, freezing, dehydrating, or milling, then the residue of such pesticide chemical remaining in or on such processed feed shall not be deemed unsafe, so long as: (i) such residue in or on the raw agricultural commodity has been removed to the extent possible within good manufacturing practice; (ii) the concentration of such residue in the processed feed is not greater than the tolerance prescribed by Section 408 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act for the raw agricultural commodity; and (iii) the feeding of such processed feed will not result, or be likely to result, in a pesticide residue in the edible produce of the animal, and that pesticide residue is unsafe within the meaning of Section 408 (a) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act;
5. Is, bears or contains any color additive that is unsafe within the meaning of Section 721 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act;
6. Is, bears, or contains any new animal drug that is unsafe within the meaning of Section 512 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act;
7. Has had any valuable constituent, in whole or in part, omitted or abstracted from the commercial feed, or any less valuable substance substituted into the commercial feed;
8. Has had the composition or quality of the commercial feed fall below or differ from that which the manufacturer or guarantor purports or represents the commercial feed to possess by its labeling;
9. Contains a drug, and the methods used in, or the facilities or controls used for, its manufacture, processing, or packaging do not conform to current good manufacturing practice; or if the drug does not conform to regulations adopted by the Board, to assure that the drug meets the requirements of this chapter as to safety, and to assure that the drug has the identity, strength, quality, and purity characteristics that it purports or is represented to possess. In adopting such regulations, the Board shall adopt the current good manufacturing practice regulations for Type A Medicated Articles, and Type B, and Type C Medicated Feeds, established under authority of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, unless the Board determines that such regulations are not appropriate to the conditions that exist in the Commonwealth; or
10. Contains viable weed seeds in amounts exceeding the limits as specified in the regulations of the Board. Nothing in this subdivision shall apply to whole unprocessed seeds.
B. The violation of any provision of this section shall be deemed to be adulteration.
A. The Commissioner may enter and inspect any factory, warehouse, or establishment within the Commonwealth during operating hours in which commercial feed is manufactured, processed, packed, warehoused, sold, or held for distribution, or any vehicle used to transport or hold such feed, to determine whether the provisions of this chapter have been complied with, including whether or not any operations may be subject to such provisions. The inspection shall include the verification of only such records and production and control procedures, pertinent equipment, finished material, unfinished material, any container, and labeling therein as may be necessary to determine compliance with this chapter.
B. The Commissioner may obtain samples from any premises during operating hours or any vehicle enumerated in subsection A, and examine records relating to distribution of commercial feeds.
C. When the inspection and analysis of an official sample indicates a commercial feed has been adulterated, misbranded, or is otherwise deficient under the provisions of this chapter, the Commissioner shall, upon request, furnish to the licensee a portion of the sample concerned within 30 days following the receipt of such analysis by the licensee.
D. The Commissioner, in determining for administrative purposes whether a commercial feed is deficient in any component, shall be guided by the official sample. Such official sample shall be obtained and analyzed as provided in § 3.2-4801.
E. The Commissioner shall allocate adequate personnel to the major farm feed consuming areas of the state to carry out his duties under this act as such duties relate to insuring the quality, analysis, and quantity of feed sold and distributed in the Commonwealth.
A. If the Commissioner determines that a commercial feed fails to meet the label guarantee within the analytical variations specified in § 3.2-4801, the Commissioner shall make an assessment against the guarantor on each pound of the lot of commercial feed represented by the sample and that any person sold as follows:
1. For deficient protein, two and one-half times the value of the deficiency;
2. For deficient fat, two times the value of the deficiency; and
3. For excessive fiber, 10 percent of the sales invoice price of the feed.
B. If the Commissioner determines that any commercial feed is misbranded as provided in § 3.2-4807 or adulterated as provided in § 3.2-4808, the Commissioner shall assess 10 percent of the sales invoice price of the feed against the guarantor on each pound of the lot of commercial feed represented by the sample and that any person sold.
C. If the Commissioner finds a commercial feed in violation of subsection A or § 3.2-4807 or 3.2-4808, the Commissioner shall:
1. Assess the manufacturer or guarantor based on the violations that occur in a 90-day period, such period to begin on the date when the Commissioner sends notification of the violation to the manufacturer or guarantor. The 90-day period restarts upon each notification of violation to the manufacturer;
2. Assess the manufacturer or guarantor on violative commercial feeds that bear the same label and are from the same manufacturing location;
3. Not make more than one assessment against the manufacturer or guarantor for the same manufacturing lot of commercial feed when the lot identification information is listed on the label of the commercial feed;
4. Not assess the manufacturer or guarantor in excess of $5,000 per occurrence;
5. Assess a minimum of $200 for the first violation;
6. Assess a minimum of $400 for the second violation;
7. Assess a minimum of $800 for the third violation;
8. Assess a minimum of $1,600 for the fourth violation;
9. Assess a minimum of $3,200 for the fifth violation;
10. Assess a minimum of $5,000 for the sixth violation, and for each ensuing violation, without limitation;
11. Waive the initial $200 minimum assessment if the Commissioner finds that the violation of the commercial feed variance provision has not occurred within the 90-day period; and
12. Have the discretion not to make an assessment if the value of the deficiency of the initial violation is $5 or less, but shall notify the manufacturer or guarantor and shall apply all further assessments on additional violations.
D. The manufacturer or guarantor shall pay all assessments to the Commissioner within 60 days of notice of payment due. Any person who fails to pay the assessment within the specified time shall pay to the Commissioner a late fee as specified in § 3.2-4811. The Commissioner shall revoke the license of such person who fails to pay the assessment.
E. The Commissioner shall compute the approximate value per pound of protein and fat and this computation shall be used to establish the relative value of deficiencies on commercial feed sold or offered for sale in the Commonwealth. The Commissioner may furnish, and upon application shall furnish, such relative values to any person engaged in the manufacture or sale of feed in the Commonwealth.
F. As used in this section, the term "value of the deficiency" means the monetary value of the deficiency in protein or fat of the lot of commercial feed from which the Commissioner collected a sample. The Commissioner shall determine the value of the deficiency by calculating the number of pounds of commercial feed deficient in protein or fat, as compared to the label guarantee, in the sample lot and multiplying those pounds by the relative value per pound of protein or fat.
Any manufacturer or guarantor who does not pay an assessment for variance from label guarantee within 60 days shall pay to the Commissioner a late payment fee of 10 percent of the assessment or $50, whichever is greater, in addition to the assessment for variance from label guarantee.
A. It is unlawful for a manufacturer or guarantor of commercial feed to:
1. Manufacture or distribute any commercial feed that is adulterated or misbranded;
2. Adulterate or misbrand any commercial feed;
3. Remove or dispose of a commercial feed in violation of an order issued pursuant to § 3.2-4813;
4. Fail to obtain a license in accordance with § 3.2-4803;
5. Fail to register medicated feed, small package commercial feed, or specialty pet food in accordance with § 3.2-4804;
6. Obstruct or hinder the Commissioner in the performance of his duties under this chapter or otherwise attempt to prevent the Commissioner from performing these duties; or
7. Use metal of any kind, including any hook, snap, staple, or other fastener or device, to secure a package or attach any card, label, or ticket to a package containing feed.
B. It shall be unlawful for any person to distribute agricultural commodities within the Commonwealth including whole seeds, hay, straw, stover, silage, cobs, husks, and hulls that, if such commodities were commercial feed, are adulterated within the meaning of § 3.2-4808.
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 commercial feed distributed in violation of this chapter. The Commissioner shall release for distribution the commercial feed held under a stop sale, use, removal, or seizure order when the requirements of this chapter have been satisfied. If the Commissioner determines that the commercial feed cannot be brought into compliance with this chapter, the Commissioner shall release the commercial feed to be: (i) remanufactured, if possible; (ii) returned to the manufacturer; or (iii) destroyed.
B. The Commissioner may seize any lot of commercial feed not in compliance with this chapter. The Commissioner may make application for seizure to an appropriate court in the city or county where the commercial feed is located. In the event that the court finds the said commercial feed to be in violation of this chapter, and orders the condemnation of said commercial feed, the owner of the commercial feed shall dispose of the seized commercial feed in any manner that, in the opinion of the Commissioner, is consistent with the quality of the commercial feed, and that complies with the laws of the Commonwealth. In no instance shall the court order the disposition of said commercial feed without first giving the claimant an opportunity to apply to the court for release of said commercial feed, or for permission to process or relabel said commercial feed, to bring it into compliance with this chapter.
All licensing, registration and inspection fees, assessments and penalties under this chapter received by the Commissioner shall be paid into the Feed, Lime, Fertilizer, and Animal Remedies Fund, established in § 3.2-3617. The fund shall be used in carrying out the purpose and provisions of this chapter, to include inspection, sampling and other expenses; except that seven cents ($0.07) per ton of commercial feed per license year of inspection fees received by the Commissioner shall be transferred to the Virginia Agricultural Foundation Fund pursuant to § 3.2-2905.
A. Nothing in this chapter shall require the Commissioner to: (i) report for prosecution; (ii) institute seizure proceedings; or (iii) issue a withdrawal from distribution order if a violation of this chapter is minor, or if the Commissioner believes the public interest will best be served by a suitable notice of warning in writing.
B. The Commissioner may apply for, and an appropriate court many grant, a temporary or permanent injunction, restraining any person from violating, or continuing to violate, any of the provisions of this chapter, or regulation adopted under the chapter.
The Commissioner shall cancel the commercial feed license and product registrations of any person who fails to comply with the chapter by:
1. Failing to file the tonnage report;
2. Falsifying information;
3. Making an inaccurate statement of tonnage distributed in Virginia during any reporting license year;
4. Making an inaccurate listing of medicated feed, small packaged commercial feed, or specialty pet feed for registration;
5. Failing to pay the license, registration, or inspection fee;
6. Failing to accurately report any of the information required to be submitted under this chapter;
7. Failing to keep records for a period of three years; or
8. Failing to allow inspection of records by the Commissioner, as required by subsection F of § 3.2-4805.
Any person convicted of violating any provision of this chapter is guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor.
