Mississippi § 69-24-17 - Penalties for deficient analysis; determination of commercial values.

§ 69-24-17. Penalties for deficient analysis; determination of commercial values.

If the analysis shall show that any soil or plant amendment falls short of the guaranteed analysis in any one (1) soil or plant amending ingredient, or in total soil or plant amending ingredients, beyond “investigational allowances” as established by regulation, a penalty of three (3) times the commercial value of such deficiency shall be assessed against the registrant by the commissioner on all the products represented by the sample analyzed. All penalties assessed under this section shall be paid to the commissioner within thirty (30) days after the date of notice to the registrant from the Department of Agriculture and Commerce. The commissioner shall deposit the amount of the penalty into the General Funds account of the State Treasury. Nothing contained in this section shall prevent any person from appealing to a court of competent jurisdiction for a judgment as to the justification of such penalties imposed under subsection (1) and (2) above. The penalties payable in subsections (1) and (2) above shall in no manner be construed as limiting the consumer’s right to bring a civil action in damage against the registrant paying said civil penalties. For the purpose of determining commercial values to be applied under the provisions of this section, the commissioner shall determine from the registrant’s sales invoice the values charged for the soil or plant amending ingredients. If no invoice is available or if the invoice fails to provide sufficient information, the commissioner may use other methods to determine values. The values so determined shall be used in determining and assessing penalties.