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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsToxic birdseed from your friends at Scotts Miracle Grow
January 27, 2012
Scotts to pay $4.5M in fines
Company will plead guilty to violations in 2008 over paperwork, toxic birdseed
Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. has agreed to plead guilty to charges in federal court and pay $4.5?m illion in fines in two incidents that date to 2008.
That year, the company recalled packages of wild birdseed coated with pesticides that were toxic to birds.
In a separate incident that year, federal officials discovered that the company was selling lawn and garden products with falsified U.S. Environmental Protection Agency pesticide registration numbers. The guilty plea and fines were contained in a plea-agreement document filed yesterday at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.
Scotts spokesman Jim King said the agreement has yet to be approved by a judge and declined to comment. No hearing date has been set in the case.
Court documents state that, from November 2005 to March 2008, Scotts distributed 73 million units of birdseed coated with insecticides called Storcide II and Actellic 5E. This was done to keep insects from eating the seeds during storage.
Storcides label says the pesticide is extremely toxic to fish and toxic to birds and other wildlife. Documents state that Scotts continued to sell the products despite warnings in the summer and fall of 2007 from a pesticide chemist and an ornithologist, both of whom worked for the company..........
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2012/01/27/scotts-to-pay-4-5m-in-fines.html
Ohio Dem
(4,357 posts)I mean, really?
This just is another example of how companies have NO conscience, and MUST be regulated by government. Corporations exist to make money, and don't give a shit about anything else.
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)The Scotts Company LLC is the exclusive sales and marketing agent for Roundup Brand Lawn & Garden Products.
The Scotts Company, LLC operates as a subsidiary of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company.
They make Osmocote Fertilizer too.
Guess I won't be buying from them anymore.
Guy Montag
(126 posts)This pisses me off to no end. I am going to complain where I see their products sold.
Frustratedlady
(16,254 posts)Another good example of why you can't let them operate without them. I'm disappointed in Scotts for this selfish action. What else have they done for the almighty dollar?
Jello Biafra
(439 posts)and it will go away....I keep thinking any time Tony Soprano had someone beat up that he knew, he would pay them some money out of his pocket and then he would say something like..."go see a doctor" or "go buy something".....
TreasonousBastard
(43,049 posts)are they doing NOW?
Ichingcarpenter
(36,988 posts)I don't get your point.
They lied and falsified documents
TreasonousBastard
(43,049 posts)after years of litigation are paying a fine.
The real point is what are they doing now that's different... or not so different?
Are the individuals responsible still there?
Ichingcarpenter
(36,988 posts)Makes you wonder what they haven't caught..
I think Monsanto and bees come to mind.
TreasonousBastard
(43,049 posts)so they're not angels.
Remains to be seen how devilish they are.
Vinca
(50,310 posts)We have a neighbor who has had many feeding stations for years and the birds seem to have disappeared. Yesterday I threw a loaf of bread (failed experiment) loaded with seeds and grains out on the patio trying to attract some birds for the cats to watch from their window perch and it's still there this morning and is untouched.
hobbit709
(41,694 posts)I call my truck the Guanomobile.
GoCubsGo
(32,095 posts)Songbirds eat seeds, fruits, nuts, and/or insects. Some, including woodpeckers, will eat suet cakes. If you want to attract birds, put out some black oil sunflower seeds. That will attract the biggest variety of birds. There are plenty of reputable companies that sell untainted bird seed. You can also make your own suet cakes. Just google "no melt suet cakes".
countryjake
(8,554 posts)Think four and a half million will even make a dent in their pockets?
Didn't they do something similar with chicken feed quite a while ago or was that Purina?