Section 2-11-23. Prohibited acts

   (a) No person shall sell, offer for sale, expose for sale, or transport for sale any agricultural, vegetable, flower, tree, or shrub seed within this state:

   (1) Unless the test to determine the percentage of germination required in Code Section 2-11-22 shall have been completed within a nine-month period, exclusive of the calendar month in which the test was completed, immediately prior to sale, exposure for sale, offering for sale, or transportation. This prohibition does not apply to agricultural or vegetable seed in hermetically sealed containers. Agricultural or vegetable seeds packaged in hermetically sealed containers under the conditions defined in rules and regulations promulgated under the provisions of this article may be sold, exposed for sale, or offered for sale or transportation for a period of 24 months after the last day of the month that the seeds were tested for germination prior to packaging. If seeds in hermetically sealed containers are sold, exposed for sale, or offered for sale or transportation more than 24 months after the last day of the month in which they were tested prior to packaging, they must have been retested within a nine-month period, exclusive of the calendar month in which the retest was completed, immediately prior to sale, exposure for sale, or offering for sale or transportation;

   (2) Not labeled in accordance with this article or having false, misleading, or illegible labeling;

   (3) Pertaining to which there has been a false or misleading advertisement;

   (4) Consisting of or containing prohibited noxious weed seeds;

   (5) Consisting of or containing restricted noxious weed seeds per pound in excess of the number prescribed by rules and regulations promulgated under this article or in excess of the number declared on the label attached to the container of the seed or associated with the seed;

   (6) Represented to be "certified seed," "registered seed," or "foundation seed," unless it has been produced and labeled in accordance with the procedures and in compliance with rules and regulations of a legally authorized seed certification agency; or

   (7) Labeled with a variety name but not certified by an official seed certifying agency when it is a variety for which a United States certificate of plant variety protection under the Plant Variety Protection Act (7 U.S.C. Section 2321, et seq.) specifies sale only as a class of certified seed, provided that seed from a certified seed lot may be labeled as to variety name when used in a mixture by, or with the approval of, the owner of the variety.

(b) It shall be unlawful for any person within this state:

   (1) To detach, alter, deface, or destroy any label provided for in this article or the rules and regulations made and promulgated hereunder or to alter or substitute seed in a manner that may defeat the purpose of this article;

   (2) To disseminate any false or misleading advertisements concerning seeds in any manner that may defeat the purpose of this article;

   (3) To hinder or obstruct, in any way, any authorized person in the performance of his or her duties under this article;

   (4) To fail to comply with a "stop sale" order or to move from the premises or dispose of any lot of seed or the tags attached thereto held under a "stop sale" order, except with express permission of the enforcing officer and for the purpose specified thereby;

   (5) To use the word "trace" as a substitute for any statement which is required;

   (6) To use the words "or better," "more than," "less than," or similar words in connection with any information required on purity analyses;

   (7) To use the word "type" in any labeling in connection with the name of any agricultural seed variety; or

   (8) To alter or falsify any seed label, seed test, laboratory report, record, or other document pertaining to seed dealings for the purpose of defrauding or misleading the purchaser or to create a misleading impression as to kind or variety, history, quality, or origin of seed.

Ga. L. 1941, p. 497, § 3; Ga. L. 1956, p. 217, § 4; Ga. L. 1996, p. 1151, § 1; Ga. L. 1998, p. 128, § 2.