NALC’s April 17 webinar navigates the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act
“PACA was established to protect not only agricultural producers, but also the country’s food supply. It has a tremendous impact.” — June Monroe
By Drew Viguet
National Agricultural Law Center
U of A System Division of Agriculture
April 3, 2024
Fast facts:
- National Ag Law Center’s April 17 webinar will discuss PACA navigation and best practices for compliance
- June Monroe, director and attorney at Fennemore, is presenting
- Registration is online
(407 words)
Download related photo of Monroe
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The highly perishable nature of produce makes the business of
buying and selling unlike that in any other industry. The Perishable Agricultural
Commodities Act, or PACA, was established in 1930 to protect those involved in transactions
regarding produce.
![Photo of June Monroe](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53629399916_dc137d4ca6_n.jpg" width="320" height="249" alt="June Monroe")
“PACA informs the produce industry of how it should be operating, ensuring fairness
for growers, buyers and sellers,” June Monroe, director and attorney at Fennemore, said. “While it’s gone through changes in its almost century-long history, the objective
of PACA has remained to protect against unfair and fraudulent business activities.”
PACA is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing
Service, or AMS. According to AMS, its PACA experts receive hundreds of calls weekly from companies requesting assistance
on problems unique to the industry.
Monroe, who practices in the areas of agribusiness and employment and labor, is a
frequent presenter on PACA. She said that misconceptions about PACA are common.
“There is a lot of information to sift through when it comes to PACA,” she said. “Licensing
requirements, payment obligation specifics, dispute resolution processes and more.
It can be a lot, but knowing more about how PACA works and serves producers is of
great necessity and benefit to those in the ag industry.”
Monroe will present the National Agricultural Law Center’s April 17 webinar on PACA,
discussing the navigation of its regulations and best practices. The webinar, “Demystifying
PACA: Navigating Compliance and Best Practices in the Produce Industry,” will begin
at 11 a.m. Central/Noon Eastern. Registration is online.
“It’s an area of law with a significant history and evolution throughout the years,”
she said. “PACA was established to protect not only agricultural producers, but also
the country’s food supply. It has a tremendous impact.”
Harrison Pittman, director of the NALC, noted Monroe’s expertise is invaluable to
producers, distributors, lawyers and more across the industry.
“June has been a great friend to the NALC, having presented at our inaugural Western
Agricultural and Environmental Law Conference in 2023 on PACA, and now presenting
this webinar,” Pittman said. “She is highly regarded in this area of law and we're
very fortunate that she'll share her time and expertise.”
For information about the National Agricultural Law Center, visit nationalaglawcenter.org or follow @Nataglaw on X. The National Agricultural Law Center is also on Facebook and LinkedIn.
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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 NALC 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 NALC 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. The Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work
within the nation’s historic land grant education system through the Agricultural
Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service.
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 dviguet@uark.edu as
soon as possible. Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay.
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Media contact:
Drew Viguet
Communications & Special Projects Coordinator
National Agricultural Law Center
dviguet@uark.edu