§ 14649 Stolen Fertilizer Use Ban

(a) It is unlawful for the owner of a plant, crop, or commodity to knowingly treat or apply to that plant, crop, or commodity, or cause that plant, crop, or commodity to be treated or applied, with a fertilizer that was stolen or otherwise acquired by illegal means. (b) The owner of a crop, who is found by a court to have violated this section, in addition to any other penalties imposed by a court, is subject to a fine of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) plus an amount equal to one-half the value of the crop on which the illegally obtained fertilizer was applied. (c) For purposes of this section, “one-half the value of the crop” means one-half the market value of the crop that was actually treated with the illegally obtained fertilizer as determined by the actual sale of the crop or, if the crop is not actually sold, as determined by the secretary based on an average of the typical market value for such a crop sold in the normal channels of trade in the year in which the crop was produced and in the preceding two years. (d) Moneys received as a result of fines and penalties imposed pursuant to this section shall be divided and distributed as follows: (1) Fifty percent to the county in which the case was brought to court or in which a court-approved settlement of the matter was negotiated. (2) Twenty-five percent to the office of the county agricultural commissioner. (3) Twenty-five percent to the department. (Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 92, Sec. 75. (SB 1289) Effective January 1, 2019.)