Rhode Island § 2-22-4 - Soil Amendments

§ 2-22-4. Labeling.

(a) Soil amendment labels — the following information shall appear on the face or display side in a readable and conspicuous form, and is considered the label:

(1) Net weight

(2) Brand Name

(3) Guaranteed analysis

(4) Purpose of product

(5) Direction for application

(6) Name and address of the registrant.

(b) No information or statement shall appear on any package, label, delivery slip or advertising matter which is false or misleading to the purchaser as to the use, value, quality, analysis, type or composition of the soil amendment.

(c) The director may require proof of claims made for any soil amendment. If no claims are made he or she may require proof of usefulness and value of the soil amendments. For evidence of proof the director of environmental management may rely on experimental data, evaluations, or advice supplied from such sources as the dean of the college of resource development. The experimental design shall be related to Rhode Island conditions for which the product is intended. The director may accept or reject other sources of proof as additional evidence in evaluating soil amendments.

(d) No soil amending ingredient may be listed or guaranteed on the labels or labeling of soil amendments without the permission of the director. The director may allow a soil amending ingredient to be listed or guaranteed on the label or labeling if satisfactory supportive data is provided to the director to substantiate the value and usefulness of the soil amending ingredients. The director may rely on outside sources such as the director of the agricultural experiment station for assistance in evaluating the data submitted. When a soil amending ingredient is permitted to be listed or guaranteed it must be determinable by laboratory methods and is subject to inspection and analysis. The director may prescribe methods and procedures of inspection and analysis of the soil amending ingredient. The director may stipulate by regulation, the quantities of the soil amending ingredient or soil amending ingredients required in soil amendments.

(e) The director may allow labeling by volume rather than weight in the packaging of soil amendments.