Certainly a case that makes you want to weigh deeply which companies you decide to do business with, especially when it comes to garden products.

From today’s US EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) release today…

Epa

Scotts Miracle-Gro Will Pay $12.5 Million in Criminal Fines and Civil Penalties for Violations of Federal Pesticide Laws

WASHINGTON – The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, a producer of pesticides for commercial and consumer lawn and garden uses, was sentenced today in federal district court in Columbus, Ohio, to pay a $4 million fine and perform community service for eleven criminal violations of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), which governs the manufacture, distribution, and sale of pesticides. Scotts pleaded guilty in February 2012 to illegally applying insecticides to its wild bird food products that are toxic to birds, falsifying pesticide registration documents, distributing pesticides with misleading and unapproved labels, and distributing unregistered pesticides. This is the largest criminal penalty under FIFRA to date.

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First seen on Inhabitat in Scotts Miracle-Gro Fined $12.5M For Knowingly Selling Bird Seed Tainted With Deadly Pesticides by Beth Buczynski, 09/07/12