Wereported in Januarythat Scotts Miracle - Gro had enter a hangdog plea for wittingly selling razz food for thought they ’d poison with a pesticide ( to prolong its shelf sprightliness ) and was slap with a $ 4.5 million mulct . “ Too low ! ” some critics cry . Well , turns out it ’s $ 12.5 mil , with more effectual action on its agency via angry customers bringing a class action at law against the company .
From anEPA press release , this is how the amercement stack up :
– a $ 4 million fine and do residential area overhaul for eleven condemnable irreverence of the Federal Insecticide , Fungicide , and Rodenticide Act … This is the largest criminal penalty under FIFRA to escort .
– In a separate civil agreement with the EPA Scotts hold to give more than $ 6 million in penalties and pass $ 2 million on environmental projects to resolves extra civil pesticide infraction . The violations include distributing or selling unregistered , canceled , or misbranded pesticides , including intersection with inadequate warnings or cautions . This is the big civil settlement under FIFRA to date .
– Scotts will contribute $ 500,000 to organizations that protect bird habitat , including $ 100,000 each to the Ohio Audubon ’s Important Bird Area Program , the Ohio Department of Natural Resources ’ Urban Forestry Program , the Columbus Metro - Parks Bird Habitat Enhancement Program , the Cornell University Ornithology Laboratory , and The Nature Conservancy of Ohio to support the protection of shuttle populations and habitat through conservation , research , and Education Department .
The EPA total :
“ As the world ’s largest marketer of residential usage pesticide , Scotts has a peculiar obligation to check that that it observe the laws govern the sale and use of its product . For having failed to do so , Scotts has been sentence to yield the with child amercement in the history of FIFRA enforcement , ” said Ignacia S. Moreno , assistant attorney general for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice . “ The Department of Justice will continue to work with EPA to assure that pesticide use in homes and on lawns and food for thought are sold and used in conformation with the laws intend to assure their safe . ”
Class Action chemical group attempt more members
grant to theSafe Lawns blog,“At least a dozen , perhaps more civic lawsuits are in the kit and boodle against Scotts Miracle Gro as a result of its February 2012 admittance that it wittingly sully snort seed with pesticide that are toxic to birds and otherwise misled pesticide regulators in the gross sales and labeling of more than 100 production . A class - action mechanism lawsuit is being readied andlawyers are aggressively seeking consumerswho purchased an estimated 73 million infect bags of Scotts birdseed between November of 2005 and March of 2008 . ”
I ’d so love to see that header a realism , by GWA members challenging the Scotts “ chief environmental officer ” when he speaks to them next month at their with child get together in Tucson . You know , when he reassures garden writers of Scotts ’ allegiance to sustainability , blah - blah - blah , like Scotts reassure its engrossed hearing of garden writers every year over the breakfast they pay for .
This is your chance , writer . From the GWA flyer :
