Pennsylvania § 5111 - Criminal penalties.

§ 5111. Criminal penalties.

(a) Conviction.--Any person who violates any of the provisions of this chapter or the rules and regulations issued thereunder or who impedes, obstructs, hinders or otherwise prevents or attempts to prevent the department in performance of its duty in connection with the provisions of this chapter commits a summary offense and shall, upon conviction, be sentenced to pay a fine of not less than $50 nor more than $100 for the first violation and not less than $500 nor more than $1,000 for a subsequent violation in any one year. In all prosecutions under this chapter involving the composition of a lot of commercial feed, a certified copy of the official analysis signed by the secretary shall be accepted as prima facie evidence of the composition.

(b) Minor violations.--Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as requiring the department to report a violation and to institute seizure proceedings as a result of minor violations of the chapter when it believes that the public interest will be best served by a suitable notice of warning in writing.

(c) District attorney.--It is the duty of each district attorney to whom any violation is reported to cause appropriate proceedings to be instituted and prosecuted in a court of competent jurisdiction without delay. Before the department reports a violation for such prosecution, an opportunity shall be given the person to present his view to the department.

(d) Trade secrets.--Any person who uses to his own advantage or reveals to anyone other than the department or to the courts when relevant in any judicial proceeding any information acquired under the authority of this chapter concerning any method, records, formulations or processes which as a trade secret is entitled to protection commits a misdemeanor of the third degree and shall, upon conviction, be sentenced to pay a fine of not less than $500 or to imprisonment for not less than one year, or both. This prohibition shall not be deemed as prohibiting the department from exchanging information of a regulatory nature with duly appointed officials of the Federal Government or of other states who are similarly prohibited by law from revealing this information.