SB 1195 Produce safety; farm inspections, civil penalty

About SB-1195

Produce safety; farm inspections; civil penalty. Prohibits certain farms from violating the federal regulations that set minimum standards for the safe growing, harvesting, packing, and holding of fruits and vegetables. The bill authorizes the Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services to adopt regulations to carry out the purposes of the law and gives the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services free access at reasonable hours to certain farms to inspect the farms and take samples. The Commissioner also is authorized to seize certain produce if he believes it is being grown, kept, or exposed for sale or held in violation of federal regulations or state law, and the bill provides a court process by which the seizure may be contested. The bill authorizes the Board to levy a civil penalty of up to $1,000 per violation, to be deposited in the Virginia Natural Resources Commitment Fund. The bill includes provisions that would cause it to expire upon the repeal of the relevant federal law, the granting of an exemption under such federal law, or the cessation of federal funding.