Title 2
Agriculture and Forestry

Chapter 21
Agricultural Liming Materials

R.I. Gen. Laws § 2-21-4

§ 2-21-4. Labeling.

(a) Agricultural liming materials sold, offered or exposed for sale in the state shall have affixed to each package in a conspicuous manner on their outside, a plainly printed, stamped or otherwise marked label, tag or statement, or in the case of bulk sales, a delivery slip, setting forth at least the following information:

(1) The name and principal office address of the manufacturer or distributor;

(2) The brand or trade name of the material;

(3) The identification of the product as to the type of the agricultural liming material;

(4) The net weight of the agricultural liming material;

(5) The minimum percentage of calcium oxide and magnesium oxide. Additional guarantees for calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate are allowed;

(6) Calcium carbonate equivalent as determined by methods prescribed by the association of official analytical chemists. Minimum calcium carbonate equivalents as prescribed by regulation; and

(7) The minimum percent by weight passing through U. S. standard sieves as prescribed by regulations.

(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 quality, analysis, type or composition of the agricultural liming material.

(c) In the case of any material which has been adulterated subsequent to packaging, labeling or loading of the material and before delivery to the consumer, a plainly marked notice to that effect shall be affixed by the vendor to the package or delivery slip to identify the kind and degree of the adulteration in the material.

(d) At every site from which agricultural liming materials delivered in bulk and at every place where consumer orders for bulk deliveries are placed, there shall be conspicuously posted a copy of the statement required by this section for each brand of material.

(e) When the director finds, after a public hearing following due notice, that the requirement for expressing the calcium and magnesium in elemental form would not impose an economic hardship on distributors and users of agricultural liming material by reason of conflicting labeling requirements among the state he or she may require by regulation that the minimum percentage of calcium oxide and magnesium oxide and/or calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate shall be expressed in the following form:

  Total calcium (Ca)..................... percent
  Total magnesium (Mg)..................... percent

Provided that the effective date of the regulation is be not less than six (6) months following the issuance of the regulation, and that for a period of two (2) years following the effective date of the regulation the equivalent of calcium and magnesium may also be shown in the form of calcium oxide and magnesium oxide and/or calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate.

History of Section.
P.L. 1977, ch. 164, § 1.