'Amend agri produce law'

LAWMAKER J.C. Hutchinson wants massive court fines to be levelled against persons who fail to produce a receipt or invoice for agricultural goods in their possession.

Hutchinson, who until January was junior minister in the Ministry of Agriculture, has brought a private member's motion to Parliament seeking support for an amendment to the Agricultural Produce Act.

In giving notice of the motion on Thursday, Hutchinson has called for a repeal of Section 37 of the law, which states that farmers who do not offer a receipt can be charged up to $250,000.

Hutchinson wants the law amended to read that a distributor or end-user of agricultural produce who fails to produce a receipt or invoice from a farmer or vendor for goods in his/her possession shall be subject to a fine not exceeding $1 million.