Lancaster Farms LLC, operating out of Wilson, N.C., posted a $50,000 surety bond with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to employ John Fowler, as required by the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA).
John Fowler was an officer of First Fruits Holdings LLC, Wake Forest, N.C., which was found to have committed repeated & flagrant violations of Section 2 of the PACA.
Any PACA licensee wishing to employ individuals who have failed to pay a reparation award, or have been subject to a USDA disciplinary action, must post a USDA approved surety bond. USDA will hold the $50,000 surety bond for four years, effective Dec. 29, 2021, providing assurance to the industry that the firm will be able to pay for produce purchased and to conduct its business according to PACA rules.
For more information, contact Corey Elliott, Chief, Investigative Enforcement Branch, at (202) 720-6873 or PACAInvestigations@usda.gov.
The PACA Division, which is in the Fair Trade Practices Program in the Agricultural Marketing Service, regulates fair trading practices of produce businesses that are operating subject to PACA, including buyers, sellers, commission merchants, dealers and brokers within the fruit and vegetable industry. In the past three years, USDA resolved approximately 3,500 PACA claims involving more than $165 million. PACA staff also assisted more than 6,600 callers with issues valued at approximately $169 million. These are just two examples of how USDA continues to support the fruit and vegetable industry.
