A. The board shall establish a system of administrative penalties for violations of the New Mexico Dairy Product Act. The administrative penalties may be assessed by the director in lieu of or in addition to other penalties provided by statute. In establishing the system of administrative penalties, the board, after public notice and public hearing, shall adopt regulations that meet the following minimum requirements:

(1) the maximum amount of any administrative penalty shall not exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000) for any one violation of the New Mexico Dairy Product Act by any person; and

(2) violations for which administrative penalties may be assessed shall be clearly defined, along with a scale of administrative penalties relating the amount of the administrative penalty to the severity and frequency of the violation.

B. No person shall be subject to the penalties of Subsection A of this section for having violated Subsection A or C of Section 3 [25-7A-3 NMSA 1978] of the New Mexico Dairy Product Act if he establishes a guarantee or undertaking, signed by and containing the name and address of the person residing in the state from whom he received in good faith the dairy product, to the effect that such dairy product is not adulterated or misbranded within the meaning of the New Mexico Dairy Product Act, designating that act.

C. No publisher, radio-broadcast licensee or agency or medium for the dissemination of an advertisement, except the manufacturer, packer, distributor or seller of the dairy product to which a false advertisement relates, shall be liable under this section by reason of the dissemination by him of such false advertisement unless he has refused, on the request of the director, to furnish to the director the name and post office address of the manufacturer, packer, distributor, seller or advertising agency residing in the state who causes him to disseminate such advertisement.

History: Laws 1993, ch. 188, § 5.

Effective dates. — Laws 1993, ch. 188 contained no effective date provision, but, pursuant to N.M. Const., art. IV, § 23, was effective June 18, 1993, 90 days after adjournment of the legislature.