WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has filed an administrative complaint under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) against James H. Paxson & Sons Inc., according to a USDA press release.

The company, operating from Pennsylvania, allegedly failed to make payments to 13 produce sellers in the amount of $739,474 from February, 2011 through October, 2012.

James H. Paxson & Sons Inc. will have an opportunity to request a hearing. Should USDA find that the company committed repeated and flagrant violations, it would be barred from the produce industry for two years. Furthermore, its principals could not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee for one year, and then only with the posting of a USDA-approved surety bond.

In the past three years, the USDA resolved approximately 3,700 PACA claims involving more than $66 million. Its experts also assisted more than 7,100 callers with issues valued at approximately $100 million. These are just two examples of how the USDA continues to support the fruit and vegetable industry.

Agricultural Marketing Service