View source for Biology:Federal Seed Act

{{Infobox U.S. legislation
| shorttitle        = Federal Seed Act
| othershorttitles  =
| longtitle         = An Act to regulate interstate and foreign commerce in seeds; to require labeling and to prevent misrepresentation of seeds in interstate commerce; to require certain standards with respect to certain imported seeds; and for other purposes.
| colloquialacronym = FSA
| nickname          = Federal Seed Act of 1939
| enacted by        = 76th
| effective date    = February 4, 1940
| public law url    = 
| cite public law   = {{USPL|76|354}}
| cite statutes at large = {{usstat|53|1275}}
| acts amended    = 
| acts repealed   = 
| title amended   = 7 U.S.C.: Agriculture
| sections created = {{Usc-title-chap|7|37}} § 1551 et seq.
| sections amended = 
| leghisturl      = 
| introducedin    = House
| introducedbill  = {{USBill|76|H.R.|5625}}
| introducedby    = Harry B. Coffee (D-NE)
| introduceddate  = May 3, 1939
| committees      = House Agriculture, Senate Agriculture & Forestry
| passedbody1     = House
| passeddate1     = June 7, 1939
| passedvote1     = Passed
| passedbody2     = Senate
| passedas2       = <!-- used if the second body changes the name of the legislation -->
| passeddate2     = August 1, 1939
| passedvote2     = Passed
| conferencedate  = 
| passedbody3     = 
| passeddate3     = 
| passedvote3     = 
| agreedbody3     = House
| agreeddate3     = August 3, 1939
| agreedvote3     = Agreed
| agreedbody4     = <!-- used if agreedbody3 further amends legislation -->
| agreeddate4     = <!-- used if agreedbody3 further amends legislation -->
| agreedvote4     = <!-- used if agreedbody3 further amends legislation -->
| passedbody4     = 
| passeddate4     = 
| passedvote4     = 
| signedpresident = Franklin D. Roosevelt
| signeddate      = August 9, 1939
| unsignedpresident = <!-- used when passed without presidential signing -->
| unsigneddate    = <!-- used when passed without presidential signing -->
| vetoedpresident = <!-- used when passed by overriding presidential veto -->
| vetoeddate      = <!-- used when passed by overriding presidential veto -->
| overriddenbody1 = <!-- used when passed by overriding presidential veto -->
| overriddendate1 = <!-- used when passed by overriding presidential veto -->
| overriddenvote1 = <!-- used when passed by overriding presidential veto -->
| overriddenbody2 = <!-- used when passed by overriding presidential veto -->
| overriddendate2 = <!-- used when passed by overriding presidential veto -->
| overriddenvote2 = <!-- used when passed by overriding presidential veto -->
| amendments      = 
| SCOTUS cases    = 
}}
The '''Federal Seed Act''', P.L. 76-354 (August 9, 1939), requires accurate labeling and purity standards for seeds in commerce, and prohibits the importation and movement of adulterated or misbranded seeds. The law works in conjunction with the Plant Protection Act of 2000 to authorize the [[Organization:Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service|Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service]] (APHIS) to regulate the importation of field crop, pasture and forage, or vegetable seed that may contain noxious weed seeds. USDA's [[Organization:Agricultural Marketing Service|Agricultural Marketing Service]] is responsible for enforcing the labeling and purity standard provisions.

==Titles of the Act==
Title 7 Chapter 37 was authored as four titles establishing agricultural policy for the specifications of forage and vegetable [[Biology:Seed|seed]]s.

:'''Title I - Definitions''' - ''7 U.S.C. §§ 1561-1562''
::Construction with respect to labeling for variety and origin
::Agricultural seeds
::Vegetable seeds
::Weed seeds
::Noxious weed seeds
::Origin, kind, variety, and type of seeds
::Germination
::Hard seeds
::Pure live seed
::Label and labeling of seeds
::Advertisement
::Subject to prescribed tolerances
::False labeling and false advertisement
::Screenings
::In bulk

:'''Title II - Interstate Commerce''' - ''7 U.S.C. §§ 1571-1575''
::Prohibitions Relating to Interstate Commerce in Certain Seeds
::Records
::Exemptions
::Disclaimers and Nonwarranties
::False Advertising

:'''Title III - Foreign Commerce''' - ''7 U.S.C. §§ 1581-1586''
::Prohibitions and Procedures Relating to Importations
::Adulterated Seed
::Seed Unfit for Seeding Purposes
::Certain Seeds Required to be Stained
::Certain Acts Prohibited

:'''Title IV - General Provisions''' - ''7 U.S.C. §§ 1591-1610''
::Delegation of Duties
::Rules and Regulations
::Standards, Tests, and Tolerances
::Prohibition Against Alterations
::Seizure
::Penalties
::Cease and Desist Proceedings
::Separability of Proceedings
::Publication
::Authorization for Appropriations
::Authorization for Expenditures
::Cooperation
::Separability of Provisions
::Repeals
::Effective Date

==Amendments to 1939 Act==
{{collapse top|width=85%|clear=none|padding=0px|U.S. Statutes related to Amendments and Federal Seed Act of 1939}}
{| style="border:1px solid gray; align:left; width:100%" cellspacing=3 cellpadding=0
|- style="font-weight:bold; text-align:center; background:#bbddff; color:black;"
! style=" border-bottom:1.5px solid black"|Date of Enactment
! style=" border-bottom:1.5px solid black"|Public Law No.
! style=" border-bottom:1.5px solid black"|U.S. Statute
! style=" border-bottom:1.5px solid black"|U.S. Bill No.
! style=" border-bottom:1.5px solid black"|U.S. Presidential Administration
|-
| style="border-bottom:1px solid gray; background:#F5F5F5;"|July 9, 1956
| style="border-bottom:1px solid gray; background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center;"|P.L. 84-662
| style="border-bottom:1px solid gray; background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center;"|{{usstat|70|508}}
| style="border-bottom:1px solid gray; background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center;"|{{USBill|84|S.|1688}}
| style="border-bottom:1px solid gray; background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center;"|Dwight D. Eisenhower
|-
| style="border-bottom:1px solid gray; background:#F5F5F5;"|August 1, 1958
| style="border-bottom:1px solid gray; background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center;"|P.L. 85-581
| style="border-bottom:1px solid gray; background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center;"|{{usstat|72|476}}
| style="border-bottom:1px solid gray; background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center;"|{{USBill|85|S.|1939}}
| style="border-bottom:1px solid gray; background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center;"|Dwight D. Eisenhower
|-
| style="border-bottom:1px solid gray; background:#F5F5F5;"|October 15, 1966
| style="border-bottom:1px solid gray; background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center;"|P.L. 89-686
| style="border-bottom:1px solid gray; background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center;"|{{usstat|80|975}}
| style="border-bottom:1px solid gray; background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center;"|{{USBill|89|H.R.|15662}}
| style="border-bottom:1px solid gray; background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center;"|Lyndon B. Johnson
|-
| style="border-bottom:1px solid gray; background:#F5F5F5;"|October 17, 1969
| style="border-bottom:1px solid gray; background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center;"|P.L. 91-89
| style="border-bottom:1px solid gray; background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center;"|{{usstat|83|134}}
| style="border-bottom:1px solid gray; background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center;"|{{USBill|91|S.|1836}}
| style="border-bottom:1px solid gray; background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center;"|Richard M. Nixon
|-
| style="border-bottom:1.5px solid black; background:#F5F5F5;"|January 8, 1983
| style="border-bottom:1.5px solid black; background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center;"|P.L. 97-439
| style="border-bottom:1.5px solid black; background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center;"|{{usstat|96|2287}}
| style="border-bottom:1.5px solid black; background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center;"|{{USBill|97|H.R.|7005}}
| style="border-bottom:1.5px solid black; background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center;"|Ronald W. Reagan
|}
{{collapse bottom}}

==See also==
* Plant Disease Bulletin
* [[Biology:Seed bank|Seed bank]]

==References==
{{CRS|article = Report for Congress: Agriculture: A Glossary of Terms, Programs, and Laws, 2005 Edition|url = https://web.archive.org/20110810044532/http://ncseonline.org/nle/crsreports/05jun/97-905.pdf|author= Jasper Womach}}

==External links==
* {{cite web |url=https://www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/fsa |title=Federal Seed Act |website=Agricultural Marketing Service |publisher=U.S. Department of Agriculture}}
* {{cite web |url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/009425598 |title=Bureau of Plant Industry Bulletin - 1901-1913 |location=Washington, D.C. |website=HathiTrust Digital Library |publisher=United States Department of Agriculture}}
* {{cite web |url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/100415799 |title=Inventory of Seeds and Plants Imported |location=Washington, D.C. |website=HathiTrust Digital Library |publisher=United States Department of Agriculture}}
* {{cite web |url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000641903 |title=The Plant Disease Bulletin |author=Plant Disease Survey |location=Washington, D.C. |website=HathiTrust Digital Library |publisher=United States Department of Agriculture}}
* {{cite web |url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000641910 |title=The Plant Disease Bulletin - Supplement |author=Plant Disease Survey |location=Beltsville, MD |website=HathiTrust Digital Library |publisher=United States Department of Agriculture}}


[[Category:Seeds]]

{{Sourceattribution|Federal Seed Act}}