(a)  Soil amendment labels — the following information shall appear on the face or display side in a readable and conspicuous form, and is considered the label:

(1)  Net weight

(2)  Brand Name

(3)  Guaranteed analysis

Soil amending ingredients
  Name and source of ingredient.. %
    and continued until all soil amending ingredients are listed and percentages given.
    Total percent of other ingredients

(4)  Purpose of product

(5)  Direction for application

(6)  Name and address of the registrant.

Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 2-22-4

  • Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Label: means the display of all written, printed or graphic matter upon the immediate container or statement accompanying a soil amendment. See Rhode Island General Laws 2-22-3
  • Labeling: means all written, printed or graphic matter, upon or accompanying any soil amendment, or advertisements, brochures, posters, or television or radio announcements used in promoting the sale of any soil amendments. See Rhode Island General Laws 2-22-3
  • Other ingredients: means the nonsoil amending ingredients present in soil amendments. See Rhode Island General Laws 2-22-3
  • Registrant: means the person who registers soil amendments under the provisions of this chapter. See Rhode Island General Laws 2-22-3
  • Soil amending ingredient: means a substance which improves the physical characteristics of the soil. See Rhode Island General Laws 2-22-3
  • Soil amendment: means any substance which is intended to improve the physical characteristics of the soil, except commercial fertilizers, agricultural liming materials, unmanipulated animal manures, unmanipulated vegetable manures, unmanipulated natural substances (charcoal, sand, pumice, and clay, etc. See Rhode Island General Laws 2-22-3
  • Weight: means the weight of material as offered for sale. See Rhode Island General Laws 2-22-3

(b)  No information or statement shall appear on any package, label, delivery slip or advertising matter which is false or misleading to the purchaser as to the use, value, quality, analysis, type or composition of the soil amendment.

(c)  The director may require proof of claims made for any soil amendment. If no claims are made he or she may require proof of usefulness and value of the soil amendments. For evidence of proof the director of environmental management may rely on experimental data, evaluations, or advice supplied from such sources as the dean of the college of resource development. The experimental design shall be related to Rhode Island conditions for which the product is intended. The director may accept or reject other sources of proof as additional evidence in evaluating soil amendments.

(d)  No soil amending ingredient may be listed or guaranteed on the labels or labeling of soil amendments without the permission of the director. The director may allow a soil amending ingredient to be listed or guaranteed on the label or labeling if satisfactory supportive data is provided to the director to substantiate the value and usefulness of the soil amending ingredients. The director may rely on outside sources such as the director of the agricultural experiment station for assistance in evaluating the data submitted. When a soil amending ingredient is permitted to be listed or guaranteed it must be determinable by laboratory methods and is subject to inspection and analysis. The director may prescribe methods and procedures of inspection and analysis of the soil amending ingredient. The director may stipulate by regulation, the quantities of the soil amending ingredient or soil amending ingredients required in soil amendments.

(e)  The director may allow labeling by volume rather than weight in the packaging of soil amendments.

History of Section.
P.L. 1977, ch. 165, § 1; P.L. 1994, ch. 63, § 1.