Agriculture Act 1970

71 Particulars to be given of certain attributes if claimed to be present

(1) A person shall not—

(a) sell for use as a fertiliser or feeding stuff any material—

(i) which he describes, in a statutory statement or any document given by him to the purchaser in connection with the sale, as having any attribute prescribed for the purposes of this section (not being an attribute of which particulars are required to be contained in the statutory statement); or

(ii) which is marked with a statement that it has any such attribute ; or

(b) have on his premises for the purpose of selling it in the course of trade for such use any material which is ready for sale and marked as aforesaid,

unless the statement, document or mark, as the case may be, also states such particulars of that attribute as may be prescribed.

(2) Any person who—

(a) fails to comply with subsection (1) of this section; or

(b) in purported compliance with that subsection describes or marks any material with particulars which, as respects a sampled portion of that material, are false to the prejudice of a purchaser,

shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £400 or, on a second or subsequent conviction under this subsection, to a fine not exceeding £400 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months or both.

(3) In proceedings for an offence under subsection (2)(b) of this section the fact that any particulars are false as respects a sampled portion of any material shall be proved by evidence of the result of an analysis of the sample taken from that portion.

(4) Failure to comply with subsection (1) of this section shall not invalidate a contract of sale ; and on the sale of any material in relation to which particulars are or purport to be stated as required by that subsection there shall, notwithstanding any contract or notice to the contrary, be implied a warranty by the seller that the particulars are correct; but in Scotland a contract of sale may not be treated as repudiated by reason only of a breach of that warranty.

(5) For the purposes of this section material shall be treated as marked whether the mark is on the material itself, on a label attached to the material, on a package or container enclosing the material or, in a case within subsection (1)(b) of this section, in such a place on the premises in question that it is likely to be taken as referring to the material.