As part of its efforts to enforce the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) and ensure fair trading practices within the U.S. produce industry, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) has imposed sanctions on two produce businesses for failing to meet their contractual obligations to the sellers of produce they purchased and failing to pay reparation awards issued under the PACA. These sanctions include suspending the businesses’ PACA licenses and barring the principal operators of the businesses from engaging in PACA-licensed business or other activities without approval from USDA. By issuing these penalties, USDA continues to enforce the prompt and full payment for produce while protecting the rights of sellers and buyers in the marketplace.
The following businesses and individuals are currently restricted from operating in the produce industry:
- Harvest Soul LLC, operating out of Fairburn, Ga., for failing to pay a $5,492 award in favor of a Florida seller. As of the issuance date of the reparation order, Kevin Quirk was listed as a member of the business.
- Church Hill Farms and Logistics, operating out of York, Pa., for failing to pay a $1,063,529 award in favor of a California seller. As of the issuance date of the reparation order, Vincenzo F. Giuffrida was listed as the officer, director and major stockholder of the business.
In the past three years, USDA resolved approximately 3,350 PACA claims involving more than $63 million. PACA staff also assisted more than 8,000 callers with issues valued at approximately $156 million. These are just two examples of how USDA continues to support the fruit and vegetable industry.
Click here for an overview of companies who previously violated PACA.
For more information: 
John Koller
USDA
Tel: +1 202 720 2890
Email: PACAdispute@usda.gov