Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act explained in Aug. 21 webinar
August 1, 2019
By Sarah Cato
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast facts
- National Agricultural Law Center webinar will cover the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act and what producers and buyers must know
- Webinar will be August 21, noon to 1:00 p.m. EDT
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Because some crops, such as fresh fruit, are highly perishable, laws such as the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act, or PACA, are in place to protect producers from unfair business practices.
PACA was enacted in 1930 and sets rules for the marketing and selling of perishable agricultural commodities, which are policed by a licensing system. Because of the vulnerability of these products, it’s important for both producers and buyers to understand PACA and the rules and penalties associated with it.
The National Agricultural Law Center is hosting a free webinar Aug. 21 where attorney Steve McCarron will discuss PACA and its five major parts: licensing, prohibited conduct, the PACA trust, dispute resolution, and contract issues.
“Anyone is the produce business must be familiar with the rules and regulations of PACA,” McCarron said. “I look forward to this webinar to help attendees avoid PACA problems for produce businesses.”
“Steve has a long history of working in the PACA area, and his presentation will be very helpful to producers and buyers of perishable commodities, as well as others who want to learn more about how PACA works in the fruit and vegetable industries,” said Harrison Pittman, director of the National Agricultural Law Center.
McCarron is an attorney at the Washington, D.C.-based law firm of McCarron & Diess, and has represented produce companies for many years. He is the author of the PACA Web Guide at www.mccarronlaw.com, which is a fully searchable and easy-to-understand description of the parts of PACA, with links to other PACA resources.
For more information on upcoming webinars, visit https://nationalaglawcenter.org/
About the National Agricultural Law Center
The National Agricultural Law Center serves as the nation’s leading source of agricultural and food law research and information.
The Center works with producers, state and federal policymakers, Congressional staffers,
attorneys, land grant universities, and many others to provide objective, nonpartisan
agricultural and food law research and information to the nation’s agricultural community.
The Center is a unit of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and works in close partnership with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Agricultural Library.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen
agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption
of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative
Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work
within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action institution. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate or need materials in another format, please contact 479-575-4607 as soon as possible. Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay.
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Media Contact: Sarah Cato
National Agricultural Law Center
870-815-9035
sscato@uark.edu