94.45 Powers and authority of the department.

(1) The department is authorized:

(a) To enter during regular business hours all places of business, warehouses, freight depots, cars, trucks and all other places where seed is stored, transported, sold or exposed for sale. The department is empowered to sample any container of seed, analyze and test the samples and inspect all records relating to any lot of seed in order to secure evidence of violation of ss. 94.38 to 94.46.

(b) To establish and maintain a seed laboratory for the testing and analysis of seed.

(c) To make purity and germination tests of seed for persons on request and for this purpose may prescribe rules governing such testing and fix and collect charges for tests made.

(d) To cooperate with the U.S. department of agriculture and other agencies in seed law enforcement.

(e) To publish at least once a year, in such form as the department deems proper, information concerning the inspection and sales of seed and the results of the analysis of official samples of agricultural and vegetable seeds distributed within the state.

(6) The department shall promulgate rules that do all of the following:

(a) Prescribe standards for the labeling, distribution, and sale of agricultural seed and vegetable seed.

(b) Govern methods of sampling, inspecting, analyzing, testing, and examining agricultural seed and vegetable seed.

(c) Prescribe tolerances for purity and rate of germination of agricultural seed and vegetable seed.

(d) Prescribe tolerances for the occurrence of noxious weed seeds in agricultural seed and vegetable seed.

(e) Identify noxious weeds and prohibited noxious weeds.

(f) Govern the issuance of seed labeler licenses.

(g) Govern the administration and enforcement of ss. 94.38 to 94.46.

History: 1975 c. 39, 308; 1983 a. 189 s. 329 (20); 2009 a. 28.