FOREIGN QUARANTINE NOTICES

• Citation: 7 CFR Part 319
• Sections: 128

§ 319.1 Preemption of State and local laws.

(a) Under section 436 of the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7756), a State or political subdivision of a State may not regulate in foreign commerce any plant or plant product in order to control, eradicate, or prevent the introduction or dissemination of a biological control organism, plant pest, or noxious weed within the United States.

(b) Therefore, in accordance with section 436 of the Plant Protection Act, the regulations in this part preempt all State and local laws that are inconsistent with or exceed the regulations in this part.

§ 319.5 Requirements for submitting requests to change the regulations in 7 CFR part 319.

(a) Definitions.

Commodity. A plant, plant product, or other agricultural product being moved for trade or other purpose.

(b) Procedures for submitting requests and supporting information. Persons who request changes to the import regulations contained in this part and who wish to import plants, plant parts, or plant products that are not allowed importation under the conditions of this part must file a request with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in order for APHIS to consider whether the new commodity can be safely imported into the United States. The initial request can be formal (e.g., a letter) or informal (e.g., made during a bilateral discussion between the United States and another country), and can be made by any person. Upon APHIS confirmation that granting a person's request would require amendments to the regulations in this part, the national plant protection organization of the country from which the commodity would be exported must provide APHIS with the information listed in paragraph (d) of this section before APHIS can proceed with its consideration of the request; requests that are not supported with this information in a timely manner will be considered incomplete and APHIS may not take further action on such requests until all required information is submitted.

(c) Addresses. The national plant protection organization of the country from which commodities would be exported must submit the information listed in paragraph (d) of this section to: PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 140, Riverdale, MD 20737.

(d) Information. The following information must be provided to APHIS in order for APHIS to consider a request to change the regulations in part 319:

(1) Information about the party submitting the request. The address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses of the national plant protection organization of the country from which commodities would be exported; or, for requests that address a multi-country region, the address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses of the exporting countries' national and regional plant protection plant protection organizations.

(2) Information about the commodity proposed for importation into the United States. (i) A description and/or map of the specific location(s) of the areas in the exporting country where the plants, plant parts, or plant products are produced;

(ii) The scientific name (including genus, species, and author names), synonyms, and taxonomic classification of the commodity;

(iii) Identification of the particular plant or plant part ( i.e. , fruit, leaf, root, entire plant, etc.) and any associated plant part proposed for importation into the United States;

(iv) The proposed end use of the imported commodity (e.g., propagation, consumption, milling, decorative, processing, etc.); and

(v) The months of the year when the commodity would be produced, harvested, and exported.

(3) Shipping information: (i) Detailed information as to the projected quantity and weight/Volume of the proposed importation, broken down according to varieties, where applicable, and;

(ii) Method of shipping in international commerce and under what conditions, including type of conveyance, and type, size, and capacity of packing boxes and/or shipping containers.

(4) Description of pests and diseases associated with the commodity

1

(i) Scientific name (including genus, species, and author names) and taxonomic classification of arthropods, fungi, bacteria, nematodes, virus, viroids, mollusks, phytoplasmas, spiroplasmas, etc., attacking the crop;

1 When a change is being sought to the conditions governing the importation of a commodity that is already authorized for importation into the United States, an update to or confirmation of previously submitted pest and disease information, rather than a new, complete submission of that information, may be appropriate. Persons seeking such a change may contact APHIS for a determination as to whether an update will be appropriate in a particular case.

(ii) Plant part attacked by each pest, pest life stages associated with each plant part attacked, and location of pest (in, on, or with commodity); and

(iii) References.

(5) Current strategies for risk mitigation or management. (i) Overview of agronomic or horticultural management practices used in production of the commodity, including methods of pest risk mitigation or control programs; and

(ii) Identification of parties responsible for pest management and control.

(e) Additional information. None of the additional information listed in this paragraph need be provided at the same time as information required under paragraphs (a) through (d) of this section; it is required only upon request by APHIS. If APHIS determines that additional information is required in order to complete a pest risk analysis in accordance with international standards for pest risk analysis, we will notify the party submitting the request in writing what specific additional information is required. If this information is not provided, and is not available to APHIS from other sources, a request may be considered incomplete and APHIS may be unable to take further action on the request until the necessary additional information is submitted. The additional information may include one or more of the following types of information:

(1) Contact information: Address, phone and fax numbers, and/or e-mail address for local experts (e.g., academicians, researchers, extension agents) most familiar with crop production, entomology, plant pathology, and other relevant characteristics of the commodity proposed for importation.

(2) Additional information about the commodity: (i) Common name(s) in English and the language(s) of the exporting country;

(ii) Cultivar, variety, or group description of the commodity;

(iii) Stage of maturity at which the crop is harvested and the method of harvest;

(iv) Indication of whether the crop is grown from certified seed or nursery stock, if applicable;

(v) If grown from certified seed or stock, indication of the origin of the stock or seed (country, State); and

(vi) Color photographs of plant, plant part, or plant product itself.

(3) Information about the area where the commodity is grown: (i) Unique characteristics of the production area in terms of pests or diseases;

(ii) Maps of the production regions, pest-free areas, etc.;

(iii) Length of time the commodity has been grown in the production area;

(iv) Status of growth of production area ( i.e. , acreage expanding or stable); and

(v) Physical and climatological description of the growing area.

(4) Information about post-harvest transit and processing: (i) Complete description of the post-harvest processing methods used; and

(ii) Description of the movement of the commodity from the field to processing to exporting port (e.g., method of conveyance, shipping containers, transit routes, especially through different pest risk areas).

(5) Shipping methods: (i) Photographs of the boxes and containers used to transport the commodity; and

(ii) Identification of port(s) of export and import and expected months (seasons) of shipment, including intermediate ports-of-call and time at intermediate ports-of-call, if applicable.

(6) Additional description of all pests and diseases associated with the commodity to be imported: (i) Common name(s) of the pest in English and local language(s);

(ii) Geographic distribution of the pest in the country, if it is a quarantine pest and it follows the pathway;

(iii) Period of attack (e.g., attacks young fruit beginning immediately after blooming) and records of pest incidence (e.g., percentage of infested plants or infested fruit) over time (e.g., during the different phenological stages of the crops and/or times of the year);

(iv) Economic losses associated with pests of concern in the country;

(v) Pest biology or disease etiology or epidemiology; and

(vi) Photocopies of literature cited in support of the information above.

(7) Current strategies for risk mitigation or management: (i) Description of pre-harvest pest management practices (including target pests, treatments [e.g., pesticides], or other control methods) as well as evidence of efficacy of pest management treatments and other control methods;

(ii) Efficacy of post-harvest processing treatments in pest control;

(iii) Culling percentage and efficacy of culling in removing pests from the commodity; and

(iv) Description of quality assurance activities, efficacy, and efficiency of monitoring implementation.

(8) Existing documentation: Relevant pest risk analyses, environmental assessment(s), biological assessment(s), and economic information and analyses.

(f) Availability of additional guidance. Information related to the processing of requests to change the import regulations contained in this part may be found on the APHIS Web site at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/pra/.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 0579-0261)

§ 319.6 Controlled import permits.

(a) Definitions.

Administrator. The Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture, or any employee of the United States Department of Agriculture delegated to act in his or her stead.

Developmental purposes. The evaluation, monitoring, or verification of plant material for plant health risks and/or the adaptability of the material for certain uses or environments.

Experimental purposes. Scientific testing which utilizes collected data and employs analytical processes under controlled conditions to create qualitative or quantitative results.

Therapeutic purposes. The application of specific scientific processes designed to eliminate, isolate, or remove potential plant pests or diseases.

(b) Purpose and scope. The regulations in this part prohibit or restrict the importation into the United States of certain plants, plant products, and other articles to prevent the introduction and dissemination of plant pests and noxious weeds within and throughout the United States. The regulations in this subpart provide a process under which a controlled import permit (CIP) may be issued to authorize the importation, for experimental, therapeutic, or developmental purposes, of an article whose importation is prohibited under this part. A CIP may also be issued to authorize, for those same purposes, the importation of an article under conditions that differ from those prescribed in the relevant regulations in this part.

(c) Application process. Applications for a CIP are available without charge from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ), Permit Unit, 4700 River Road Unit 136, Riverdale, MD 20737-1236, or from local PPQ offices. Applications may be submitted by mail, by fax, or electronically and must be submitted at least 60 days prior to arrival of the article at the port of entry. Mailed applications must be submitted to the address above, faxed applications may be submitted to 301-734-4300, and electronic applications may be submitted through the ePermits Web site at https://epermits.aphis.usda.gov/epermits.

(1) The completed application for a CIP must provide the following information:

(i) Name, address in the United States, and contact information of the applicant;

(ii) Identity (common and botanical [genus and species] names) of the plant material to be imported, quantity of importation, country of origin, and country shipped from;

(iii) Intended experimental, therapeutic, or developmental purpose for the importation; and

(iv) Intended ports of export and entry, means of conveyance, and estimated date of arrival.

(2) APHIS may issue a CIP if the Administrator determines that the plant pest risks associated with the plant material and its intended experimental, therapeutic, or developmental use can be effectively mitigated. The CIP will contain the applicable conditions for importation and subsequent handling of the plant material if it is deemed eligible to be imported into the United States, including the specifications for the facility where the plant will be held. The plant material may be imported only if all applicable requirements are met.

(d) Shipping conditions. Consignments of plant material to be offered for importation under a CIP must meet the following requirements, unless otherwise specified under the conditions of the CIP:

(1) The plant material must be selected from apparently disease-free and pest-free sources.

(2) The plant material must be free of soil, other foreign matter or debris, other prohibited plants, noxious weed seeds, and living organisms such as parasitic plants, pathogens, insects, snails, and mites.

(3) Fungicides, insecticides, and other treatments such as coatings, dips, or sprayings must not be applied before shipment, unless otherwise specified. Plant materials may be refused entry if they are difficult or hazardous to inspect because of the presence of such treatments. Plant materials must not be wrapped or otherwise packaged in a manner that impedes or prevents adequate inspection or treatment.

(4) The plant material must be moved in an enclosed container or one completely enclosed by a covering adequate to prevent the possible escape or introduction of plant pests during shipment. Any packing material used in the consignment of the plant material must meet the requirements of § 319.37-11, and wood packing material used in the consignment must meet the requirements of § 319.40-3(b) and (c).

(5) Consignments may be shipped as cargo, by mail or air freight, or hand-carried, as specified in the conditions of the CIP.

(6) The plant material must be offered for importation at the port of entry or plant inspection station as specified in the conditions of the CIP.

(7) A copy of the CIP must accompany each consignment, and all consignments must be labeled in accordance with instructions in the CIP.

(8) Each consignment must be accompanied by an invoice or packing list indicating its contents.

(e) Post-importation conditions. (1) At the approved facility where the plant material will be maintained following its importation, plant material imported under a CIP must be identified and labeled as quarantined material to be used only in accordance with a valid CIP.

(2) Plant material must be stored in a secure place or in the manner indicated in the CIP and be under the supervision and control of the permit holder. During regular business hours, properly identified officials, either Federal or State, must be allowed to inspect the plant material and the facilities in which the plant material is maintained.

(3) The permit holder must keep the permit valid for the duration of the authorized experimental, therapeutic, or developmental purpose. The PPQ Permit Unit must be informed of a change in contact information for the permit holder within 10 business days of such change.

(4) Plant material imported under a CIP must not be moved or distributed to another person without prior authorization from the PPQ Permit Unit.

(5) Should the permit holder leave the institution in which the plant material imported under a CIP is kept, the plant material must be destroyed unless, prior to the departure of the original permit holder, another person assumes responsibility for the continued maintenance of the plant material and such person obtains a new CIP for the plant material. Should the permit holder be otherwise unavailable to maintain the plant material for which the CIP was issued, the plant material must be destroyed unless another person assumes responsibility for the continued maintenance of the plant material and such person obtains a new CIP for the plant material. Permission to move or distribute plant material that was authorized for importation under a CIP to another person must be obtained by contacting the PPQ Permit Unit.

(6) CIPs issued by APHIS are valid for a period of 1 year. The permittee may request the existing permit be renewed for up to an additional 2 years prior to the expiration of the CIP and if no adverse indications exist from the previous year.

(f) Failure to comply with all of the conditions specified in the CIP or any applicable regulations or administrative instructions, or forging, counterfeiting, or defacing permits or shipping labels, may result in immediate revocation of the permit, denial of future permits, and civil or criminal penalties for the permit holder.

(g) Denial, withdrawal, cancellation, or revocation of permit. The Administrator may deny a permit application in accordance with § 319.7-3, and a permit may be withdrawn, canceled, or revoked in accordance with § 319.7-4.

(1) Action upon cancellation or revocation of permit. Upon cancellation or revocation of a permit, the permittee must surrender, destroy, or remove all regulated plant material covered by the permit in accordance with § 319.7-4(e).

(2) Appeal of denial or revocation. Any person whose application for a permit has been denied or whose permit has been revoked may appeal the denial or revocation in accordance with § 319.7-5.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 0579-0384)

§ 319.7 Definitions.

The following definitions apply to this subpart:

Administrative instructions. Published documents related to the enforcement of this part and issued under authority of the Plant Protection Act, as amended (7 U.S.C. 7701 et seq. ), by the Administrator.

Administrator. The Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service or any employee of the United States Department of Agriculture delegated to act in his or her stead.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture.

Applicant. A person at least 18 years of age who, on behalf of him- or herself or another person, submits an application for a permit to import into the United States or move interstate a regulated article in accordance with this part.

Approved. Approved by the Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

Article. Any material or tangible objects that could harbor or be a vector of plant pests or noxious weeds.

Consignment. A quantity of plants, plant products, and/or other articles being moved from one country to another authorized when required, by a single permit. A consignment may be composed of one or more commodities or lots.

Country of origin. The country where the plants, or plants from which the plant products are derived, were grown or where the non-plant articles were produced.

Enter, entry. To move into, or the act of movement into, the commerce of the United States.

Import, importation. To move into, or the act of movement into, the territorial limits of the United States.

Inspector. Any individual authorized by the Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service or the Commissioner of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security, to enforce the regulations in this part.

Intended use. The purpose for the importation of the regulated article, including, but not limited to, consumption, propagation, or research purposes.

Lot. All the regulated articles on a single means of conveyance that are derived from the same species of plant or are the same type of non-plant article, were subjected to the same treatments prior to importation, and are consigned to the same person.

Means of conveyance. Any personal property used for or intended for use for the movement of any other personal property.

Move. To carry, enter, import, mail, ship, or transport; to aid, abet, cause, or induce the carrying, entering, importing, mailing, shipping, or transporting; to offer to carry, enter, import, mail, ship, or transport; to receive to carry, enter, import, mail, ship, or transport; to release into the environment; or to allow any of the activities described in this definition.

Oral authorization. Verbal permission to import that may be granted by an inspector at the port of entry.

Permit. A written authorization, including by electronic methods, to move plants, plant products, biological control organisms, plant pests, noxious weeds, or articles under conditions prescribed by the Administrator.

Permittee. The person who, on behalf of self or another person, is legally the importer of an article, meets the requirements of § 319.7-2(f), and is responsible for compliance with the conditions for the importation that is the subject of a permit issued in accordance with this part.

Person. Any individual, partnership, corporation, association, joint venture, or other legal entity.

Plant. Any plant (including any plant part) for or capable of propagation, including a tree, a tissue culture, a plantlet culture, pollen, a shrub, a vine, a cutting, a graft, a scion, a bud, a bulb, a root, and a seed.

Plant pest. Any living stage of any of the following that can directly or indirectly injure, cause damage to, or cause disease in any plant or plant product: A protozoan; a nonhuman animal; a parasitic plant; a bacterium; a fungus; a virus or viroid; an infectious agent or other pathogen; or any article similar to or allied with any of the foregoing enumerated articles.

Plant product. Any flower, fruit, vegetable, root, bulb, seed, or other plant part that is not included in the definition of plant, or any manufactured or processed plant or plant part.

Port of entry. A port at which a specified shipment or means of conveyance is accepted for entry or admitted without entry into the United States for transit purposes.

Port of first arrival. The area (such as a seaport, airport, or land border) where a person or means of conveyance first arrives in the United States, and where inspection of regulated articles may be carried out by inspectors.

PPQ. The Plant Protection and Quarantine Program, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, delegated responsibility for enforcing provisions of the Plant Protection Act and related legislation, quarantines and regulations.

Regulated article. Any material or tangible object regulated by this part for entry into the United States or interstate movement.

Soil. The unconsolidated material from the earth's surface that consists of rock and mineral particles mixed with organic material and that supports or is capable of supporting biotic communities.

State. Any of the several States of the United States, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Virgin Islands of the United States, or any other territory or possession of the United States.

Treatment. A procedure approved by the Administrator for neutralizing infestations or infections of plant pests or diseases, such as fumigation, application of chemicals or dry or moist heat, or processing, utilization, or storage.

United States. All of the States.

§ 319.7-1 Applying for a permit.

(a) Persons who wish to import regulated articles into the United States must apply for a permit, unless the regulated articles are not subject to a requirement under this part that a permit be issued prior to a consignment's arrival. An applicant for a permit to import regulated articles into the United States in accordance with this part must be:

(1) Capable of acting in the capacity of the permittee in accordance with § 319.7-2(e), or must designate a permittee who is so capable should the permit be issued;

(2) Applying for a permit on behalf of self or on behalf of another person as permittee; and

(3) At least 18 years of age.

(b) Permit applications must be submitted by the applicant in writing or electronically through one of the means listed at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/permits/index.shtml in advance of the action(s) proposed on the permit application.

(c) The application for a permit must contain the following information:

(1) Legal name, address, and contact information of the applicant, and affirmation by the applicant that the applicant is at least 18 years of age;

(2) The same information of the permittee if different from the applicant, and, if the permittee is an individual, affirmation by the permittee that the permittee is at least 18 years of age;

(3) Specific type of regulated article (common and scientific names, if applicable);

(4) Country of origin;

(5) Intended use of the regulated article;

(6) Intended port(s) of first arrival; and

(7) A description of any processing, treatment, or handling of the regulated article to be performed prior to or following importation, including the location where any processing or treatment was or will be performed and the names and dosage of any chemical employed in treatments of the regulated article.

(d) The application for a permit may also require the following information:

(1) Means of conveyance;

(2) Quantity of the regulated article;

(3) Estimated date of arrival;

(4) Name, address, and contact information of any broker or subsequent custodian of the regulated article;

(5) Exporting country from which the article is to be moved, when not the country of origin; and

(6) Any other information determined to be necessary by APHIS to inform the decision to issue the permit.

(e) Application for a permit to import regulated articles into the United States must be submitted at least 30 days prior to arrival of the article at the port of entry.

(1) If, through no fault of the importer, a consignment of regulated articles subject to a requirement under this part that a permit be issued prior to a consignment's arrival arrives at a U.S. port before a permit is received, the consignment may be held, under suitable safeguards prescribed by the inspector, in custody at the risk and expense of the importer pending issuance of a permit or authorization from APHIS.

(2) An oral authorization may be granted by an inspector at the port of entry for a consignment, provided that:

(i) All applicable entry requirements are met;

(ii) Proof of application for a written permit is provided to the inspector; and

(iii) PPQ verifies that the application for a written permit has been received and that PPQ intends to issue the permit.

§ 319.7-2 Issuance of permits and labels.

(a) Upon receipt of an application, APHIS will issue a permit if, after review of the application, APHIS determines that the regulated articles are eligible to be imported into the United States under any applicable conditions. The permit will specify the applicable conditions of entry and the port of entry, and a copy will be provided to the permittee. The permit will only be valid for the time period indicated on the permit.

(b) The applicant for a permit for the importation of regulated articles into the United States must designate the person who will be named as the permittee upon the permit's issuance. The applicant and the permittee may be the same person or different persons.

(c) The act, omission, or failure of the permittee as an officer, agent, or person acting for or employed by any other person within the scope of his or her employment or office will be deemed also to be the act, omission, or failure of the other person.

(d) Failure to comply with all of the conditions specified in the permit or any applicable regulations or administrative instructions, or forging, counterfeiting, or defacing permits or shipping labels, may result in immediate revocation of the permit, denial of any future permits, and civil or criminal penalties for the permittee.

(e) The permittee will remain responsible for the consignment regardless of any delegation to a subsequent custodian of the importation.

(f) A permittee must:

(1) If an individual, be at least 18 years of age and have and maintain an address in the United States that is specified on the permit and be physically present during normal business hours at that address during any periods when articles are being imported or moved interstate under the permit; or

(2) If another legal entity, maintain an address or business office in the United States with a designated individual for service of process; and

(3) Serve as the contact for the purpose of communications associated with the movement of the regulated article for the duration of the permit. The PPQ Permit Unit must be informed of a change in contact information for the permittee within 10 business days of such change;

(4) Ensure compliance with the applicable regulatory requirements and permit conditions associated with the movement of the regulated article for the duration of the permit;

(5) Provide written or electronic acknowledgment and acceptance of permit conditions when APHIS requests such acknowledgment;

(6) Serve as the primary contact for communication with APHIS regarding the permit; and

(7) Maintain all conditions of the permit for the entirety of its prescribed duration.

(g) The regulated article may be imported only if all applicable requirements of the permit issued for the importation of the regulated article or any other documents or instructions issued by APHIS are met and complied with as determined by APHIS.

(h) In accordance with the regulations in this part, labels may be issued to the permittee for the importation of regulated articles. Such labels may contain information about the shipment's nature, origin, movement conditions, or other matters relevant to the permit and will indicate that the importation is authorized under the conditions specified in the permit.

(1) If issued, the quantity of labels will be sufficient for the permittee to attach one to each parcel. Labels must be affixed to the outer packaging of the parcel.

(2) Importations without such required labels will be refused entry into the United States, unless a label is not required and not issued for the importation.

(i) Even if a permit has been issued for the importation of a regulated article, the regulated article may be imported only if an inspector at the port of entry determines that no remedial measures pursuant to the Plant Protection Act are necessary to mitigate or address any plant pest or noxious weed risks.

1

1 An inspector may hold, seize, quarantine, treat, apply other remedial measures to, destroy, or otherwise dispose of plants, plant pests, and other articles in accordance with sections 414, 421, and 434 of the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7714, 7731, and 7754).

(j) A permit application may be withdrawn at the request of the applicant prior to the issuance of the permit.

(k) A permit may be canceled after issuance at the request of the permittee.

(l) A permit may be amended if APHIS finds that the permit is incomplete or contains factual errors.

(m) In accordance with Section 7734 of the Plant Protection Act, as amended (7 U.S.C. 7701 et seq. ), the actions, omissions, or failures of any agent of the permittee may be deemed the actions, omissions, or failures of a permittee as well; and that failure to comply with all of the conditions specified in the permit or any applicable regulations or administrative instructions, or forging, counterfeiting, or defacing permits or shipping labels, may result in immediate revocation of the permit, denial of any future permits, and civil or criminal penalties for the permittee.

§ 319.7-3 Denial of permits.

(a) APHIS may deny an application for a permit to import a regulated article into the United States. A denial, including the reason for the denial, will be provided in writing, including by electronic methods, to the applicant as promptly as circumstances permit. The denial of a permit may be appealed in accordance with § 319.7-5.

(b) APHIS may deny an application for a permit to import a regulated article:

(1) If APHIS determines that the applicant is not likely to abide by permit conditions. Factors that may lead to such a determination include, but are not limited to, the following:

(i) The applicant, or a partnership, firm, corporation, or other legal entity in which the applicant has a substantial interest, financial or otherwise, has not complied with any permit that was previously issued by APHIS;

(ii) APHIS determines that issuing the permit would circumvent any order revoking or denying a permit under the Plant Protection Act;

(iii) APHIS determines that the applicant has previously failed to comply with any APHIS regulation;

(iv) APHIS determines that the applicant has previously failed to comply with any Federal, State, or local law, regulation, or instruction concerning the importation of prohibited or restricted foreign agricultural products;

(v) APHIS determines that the applicant has failed to comply with the laws or regulations of a national plant protection organization or equivalent body, as these pertain to plant health;

(vi) APHIS determines that the applicant has made false or fraudulent statements or provided false or fraudulent records to APHIS; or

(vii) The applicant has been convicted or has pled nolo contendere to any crime involving fraud, bribery, extortion, or any other crime involving a lack of integrity.

(2) If the application for a permit contains information that is found to be materially false, fraudulent, deceptive, or misrepresentative;

(3) If APHIS concludes that the actions proposed under the permit would present an unacceptable risk to plants and plant products because of the potential for introduction or dissemination of a plant pest or noxious weed within the United States;

(4) If the importation is adverse to the conduct of an eradication, suppression, control, or phytosanitary program of APHIS or a program recognized by APHIS;

(5) If the importation is not in compliance with any applicable import regulations or any administrative instructions or measures, including, but not limited to, all the requirements of this part; or

(6) If a State executive official, or a State plant protection official authorized to do so, objects to the movement in writing and provides specific, detailed information that there is a risk the movement will result in the dissemination of a plant pest or noxious weed into the State, and APHIS determines that such plant pest risk cannot be adequately addressed or mitigated.

§ 319.7-4 Withdrawal, cancellation, and revocation of permits.

(a) Withdrawal of an application. If the applicant wishes to withdraw a permit application before issuance of a permit, he or she must provide the request in writing to APHIS. APHIS will provide written notification to the applicant as promptly as circumstances allow regarding reception of the request and withdrawal of the application.

(b) Cancellation of permit by permittee. If a permittee wishes to cancel a permit after its issuance, he or she must provide the request in writing to APHIS. APHIS will provide written notification to the applicant as promptly as circumstances allow regarding reception of the request and cancellation of the permit.

(c) Revocation of permit by APHIS. APHIS may revoke any outstanding permit to import regulated articles into the United States. A revocation, including the reason for the revocation, will be provided in writing, including by electronic methods, to the permittee as promptly as circumstances permit. The revocation of a permit may be appealed in accordance with § 319.7-5.

(d) APHIS may revoke a permit to import a regulated article if:

(1) Information is received subsequent to the issuance of the permit of circumstances that APHIS determines would constitute cause for the denial of an application under § 319.7-3; or

(2) APHIS determines that the permittee has failed to maintain the safeguards or otherwise observe the conditions specified in the permit or in any applicable regulations or administrative instructions, including, but not limited to, all of the requirements of this part.

(e) Upon revocation of a permit, the permittee must, without cost to the Federal Government and in the manner and method APHIS considers appropriate, either:

(1) Surrender all regulated articles covered by the revoked permit and any other affected plant material to an inspector;

(2) Destroy, under the supervision of an inspector, all regulated articles covered by the revoked permit and any other affected plant material; or

(3) Remove all regulated articles covered by the revoked permit and any other affected plant material from the United States.

§ 319.7-5 Appeal of denial or revocation.

(a) All denials of an application for a permit, or revocations of an existing permit, will be provided in writing, including by electronic methods, as promptly as circumstances permit and will include the reasons for the denial or revocation.

(b) Any person whose application for a permit has been denied or whose permit has been revoked may appeal the decision in writing to APHIS within 10 business days from the date the communication of notification of the denial or revocation of the permit was received. The appeal must state all facts and reasons upon which the person is relying to show that the denial or revocation was incorrect.

(c) APHIS will grant or deny the appeal in writing and will state in writing the reason for the decision. The denial or revocation will remain in effect during the resolution of the appeal.

§ 319.8 Notice of quarantine.

(a) Pursuant to sections 411-414 and 434 of the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7711-7714 and 7754), the Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has determined that the unrestricted importation into the United States from all foreign countries and localities of any parts or products of plants of the genus Gossypium, including seed cotton; cottonseed; cotton lint, linters, and other forms of cotton fiber (not including yarn, thread, and cloth); cottonseed hulls, cake, meal, and other cottonseed products, except oil; cotton waste, including gin waste and thread waste; any other unmanufactured parts of cotton plants; second-hand burlap and other fabrics, shredded or otherwise, that have been used or are of the kinds ordinarily used, for containing cotton, grains (including grain products), field seeds, agricultural roots, rhizomes, tubers, or other underground crops, may result in the entry into the United States of the pink bollworm ( Pectinophora gossypiella (Saund.)), the golden nematode of potatoes ( Heterodera rostochiensis Wr.), the flag smut disease ( Urocystis tritici Koern.), and other injurious plant diseases and insect pests. Accordingly, to prevent the introduction into the United States of plant pests, the importation of those articles into the United States is prohibited unless they are imported in accordance with the regulations in this subpart or their importation has been authorized for experimental, therapeutic, or developmental purposes by a controlled import permit issued in accordance with § 319.6.

(b) The importation of cotton plants (including any plant parts) that are for planting or capable of being planted is restricted in Subpart H—Plants for Planting

of this part.

§ 319.8-1 Definitions.

For the purposes of the regulations in this subpart, the following words shall be construed, respectively, to mean:

Administrator. The Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture, or any employee of the United States Department of Agriculture delegated to act in his or her stead.

Approved. Approved by the Administrator.

Approved areas of Mexico. Any areas of Mexico, other than Northwest Mexico and the west coast of Mexico, which are designated by the Administrator as areas in which cotton and cotton products are produced and handled under conditions comparable to those under which like cotton and cotton products are produced and handled in the generally infested pink bollworm regulated area in the United States.

Approved fumigation facilities. Approved vacuum fumigation plant at a port where an inspector is available to supervise the fumigation.

Approved mill or plant. A mill or plant operating under a signed agreement with the Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs required for approval of a mill or plant as specified in § 319.8-8(a)(2).

Authorized. Authorized by the Administrator.

Compressed. Compressed or pressed and baled or packaged to a density greater than approximately 20 pounds and less than approximately 28 pounds per cubic foot.

Compressed to high density. Compressed or pressed and baled or packaged to a density of approximately 28 or more pounds per cubic foot.

Contamination ( contaminate ). Containing or bearing whole cottonseed or seed cotton or other material which may carry the pink bollworm, the golden nematode of potatoes, the flag smut disease, or other injurious plant diseases or insect pests. (The verb contaminate shall be construed accordingly.)

Cotton. Parts and products of plants of the genus Gossypium, including seed cotton; cottonseed; cotton lint, linters and other forms of cotton fiber, not including yarn, thread and cloth; cottonseed hulls, cake, meal, and other cottonseed products, except oil; waste; and all other unmanufactured parts of cotton plants.

Cottonseed. Cottonseed from which the lint has been removed and that is intended for processing or consumption.

Covers. Second-hand burlap and other fabrics, shredded or otherwise, including any whole bag, any bag that has been slit open, and any part of a bag, which have been used, or are of the kinds ordinarily used, for containing cotton, grains (including grain products), field seeds, agricultural roots, rhizomes, tubers, or other underground crops. Burlap and other fabrics, when new or unused are excluded from this definition.

Gin trash. All of the material produced during the cleaning and ginning of seed cotton, bollies or snapped cotton except the lint, cottonseed, and gin waste.

Inspector. A properly identified employee of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or other person authorized to enforce the provisions of the Plant Protection Act.

Lint. All forms of raw ginned cotton, either baled or unbaled, except linters and waste.

Linters. All forms of cotton fiber separated from cottonseed after the lint has been removed, excluding so-called hull fiber.

North, northern. When used to designate ports of arrival, these terms mean the port of Norfolk, VA, and all Atlantic Coast ports north thereof, ports along the Canadian border, and Pacific Coast ports in the States of Washington and Oregon. When used in a geographic sense to designate areas or locations, these terms mean any State in which cotton is not grown commercially. However, when cotton is grown commercially in certain portions of a State, as is the case in Illinois, Kansas, and Missouri, these terms include those portions of such State as may be determined by the Administrator as remote from the main area of cotton production.

Northwest Mexico. All of the State of Baja California, Mexico, and that part of the State of Sonora, Mexico, lying between San Luis Mesa and the Colorado River.

Permit. A form of authorization to allow the importation of cotton or covers in accordance with the regulations in this subpart and in §§ 319.7 through 319.7-5.

Person. Any individual, firm, corporation, company, society, or association, or any organized group of any of the foregoing.

Pink bollworm regulated area; generally infested pink bollworm regulated area. The pink bollworm regulated area consists of those States or parts thereof designated as regulated area in Administrative Instructions issued under § 301.52-2 of this chapter. The generally infested pink bollworm regulated area is that part of the regulated area designated as generally infested in the said Administrative Instructions.

Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs. The Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, of the United States Department of Agriculture.

Root crop. The underground crop portions of any plants.

Samples. Samples of lint, linters, waste, cottonseed cake, and cottonseed meal, of the amount and character usually required for trade purposes.

Seed cotton. Cotton as it comes from the field.

Treatment. Procedures administratively approved by the Administrator for destroying infestations or infections of insect pests or plant diseases, such as fumigation, application of chemicals or dry or moist heat, or processing, utilization, or storage.

Uncompressed. Baled or packaged to a density not exceeding approximately 20 pounds per cubic foot.

United States. Any of the States, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, or the Virgin Islands of the United States.

Utilization. Processing or manufacture, in lieu of fumigation at time of entry, at a mill or plant authorized by APHIS through a compliance agreement for foreign cotton processing or manufacturing.

Waste. All forms of cotton waste derived from the manufacture of cotton lint, in any form or under any trade designation, including gin waste and thread waste; and waste products derived from the milling of cottonseed. Gin trash is not within the definition of waste.

West Coast of Mexico. The State of Sinaloa, the State of Sonora (except that part of the Imperial Valley lying between San Luis Mesa and the Colorado River), and the Southern Territory of Baja California, in Mexico.

§ 319.8-2 Permit procedure.

(a) Except as otherwise provided for in §§ 319.8-10 and 319.8-18, permits shall be obtained for importations into the United States of all cotton and covers. Permits will be issued only for cotton and covers authorized entry under §§ 319.8-6 through 319.8-20. Persons desiring to import cotton or covers under §§ 319.8-6 through 319.8-20 shall, in advance of departure of such material from a foreign port, submit to the Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs an application for a permit in accordance with §§ 319.7 through 319.7-5 . Applications to import cottonseed shall state the approximate quantity and the proposed United States port of entry. Applications to import lint, linters, or waste shall state whether such materials are compressed.

(b) Applications to import lint, linters, or waste at a port

1

other than one in the North, in California, or on the Mexican Border shall also specify whether the commodity is compressed to high density.

1 Including ports in Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands of the United States.

(c) Upon receipt of an application to import lint, linters, waste, or covers, without treatment, for utilization under agreement as defined in § 319.8-8(a)(2), an investigation will be made by an inspector to determine that the receiving mill or plant is satisfactorily located geographically, is equipped with all necessary safeguards, and is apparently in a position to fulfill all precautionary conditions to which it may agree. Upon determination by the inspector that these qualifications are fulfilled, the owner or operator of the mill or plant may sign an agreement specifying that the required precautionary conditions will be maintained. Such signed agreement will be a necessary requisite to the release at the port of entry of any imported lint, linters, waste, or covers for forwarding to and utilization at such mill or plant in lieu of vacuum fumigation or other treatment otherwise required by this subpart. Permits for the importation of such materials will be issued in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section.

(d) Permits for importation of any cotton or covers are conditioned upon compliance with all of the conditions specified in the permit and any applicable regulations or administrative instructions of this part.

(e) Pending development of adequate treating facilities in Guam, any cotton or covers that are subject to treatment as a condition of entry therein must first be entered and treated in accordance with the requirements of this subpart at a U.S. port of arrival where such treating facilities are available.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 0579-0049)

§ 319.8-3 Refusal and cancellation of permits.

(a) Permits for entry from the West Coast of Mexico, as authorized in § 319.8-12 of lint, linters, waste, cottonseed, and cottonseed hulls may be refused and existing permits cancelled by the Administrator if he or she has determined that the pink bollworm is present in the West Coast of Mexico or in Northwest Mexico, or that other conditions exist therein that would increase the hazard of pest introduction into the United States.

(b) Permits for entry from Northwest Mexico as authorized in § 319.8-13 of lint, linters, waste, cottonseed, cottonseed hulls, and covers that have been used for cotton, may be refused and existing permits cancelled by the Administrator if he or she has determined that the pink bollworm is present in Northwest Mexico or in the West Coast of Mexico, or that other conditions exist therein that would increase the hazard of pest introduction into the United States.

§ 319.8-4 Notice of arrival.

Immediately upon arrival at a port of entry of any shipment of cotton or covers, the importer shall submit to an inspector or, in the case of Guam, through the Customs officer of the Government of Guam, notice of such arrival using a form provided for that purpose (Form PPQ-368). Forms will be submitted using a U.S. Government electronic information exchange system or other authorized method.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 0579-0049)

§ 319.8-5 Marking of containers.

Every bale or other container of cotton lint, linters, waste, or covers imported or offered for entry shall be plainly marked or tagged with a bale number or other mark to distinguish it from other bales or containers of similar material. Bales of lint, linters, and waste from approved areas of Mexico, the West Coast of Mexico, or Northwest Mexico shall be tagged or otherwise marked to show the gin or mill of origin unless they are immediately exported.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 0579-0049)

§ 319.8-6 Cottonseed cake and cottonseed meal.

Entry of cottonseed cake and cottonseed meal will be authorized through any port at which the services of an inspector are available, subject to examination by an inspector for freedom from contamination. If found to be free of contamination, importations of such cottonseed cake and cottonseed meal will be released from further plant quarantine entry restrictions. If found to be contaminated such importations will be refused entry or subjected as a condition of entry to such safeguards as the inspector may prescribe, according to a method selected by the inspector from administratively authorized procedures known to be effective under the conditions under which the safeguards are applied.

§ 319.8-7 Processed lint, linters, and waste.

Entry of lint, linters, and waste will be authorized without treatment but upon compliance with other applicable requirements of this subpart when the inspector can determine that such lint, linters, and waste have been so processed by bleaching, dyeing, or other means, as to have removed all cottonseed or to have destroyed all insect life.

§ 319.8-8 Lint, linters, and waste.

(a) Compressed to high density. (1)(i) Entry of lint, linters, and waste, compressed to high density, will be authorized subject to vacuum fumigation by approved methods at any port where approved fumigation facilities are available.

(ii) Importations of such lint, linters, and waste, arriving at a northern port where there are no approved fumigation facilities may be entered for transportation in bond to another northern port where such facilities are available, for the required vacuum fumigation.

(iii) Such lint, linters, and waste compressed to high density arriving at a port in the State of California where there are no approved fumigation facilities may be entered for immediate transportation in bond via an all-water route if available, otherwise by overland transportation in van-type trucks or box cars after approved surface treatment, or under such other conditions as may be deemed necessary and are prescribed by the inspector to ( a ) any port where approved fumigation facilities are available, there to receive the required vacuum fumigation before release, or ( b ) to an approved mill or plant for utilization.

(2) Entry of lint, linters, and waste compressed to high density, will be authorized without vacuum fumigation at any northern port, subject to movement to an approved mill or plant, the owner or operator of which has executed an agreement with the Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs to the effect that, in consideration of the waiving, of vacuum fumigation as a condition of entry and the substitution of approved utilization therefor:

(i) The lint, linters, and waste so entered will be processed or manufactured at the mill or plant and until so used will be retained thereat, unless written authority is granted by the Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs to move the material to another mill or plant;

(ii) Sanitary measures satisfactory to the Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs will be taken with respect to the collection and disposal of any waste, residues, and covers, including the collection and disposal of refuse from railroad cars, trucks, or other carriers used in transporting the material to the mill or plant;

(iii) Inspectors of the Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs will have access to the mill or plant at any reasonable time to observe the methods of handling the material, the disposal of refuse, residues, waste, and covers, and otherwise to check compliance with the terms of the agreement;

(iv) Such reports of the receipt and utilization of the material, and disposal of waste therefrom as may be required by the inspector will be submitted to him promptly;

(v) Such other requirements as may be necessary in the opinion of the Administrator to assure retention of the material, including all wastes and residues, at the mill or plant and its processing, utilization or disposal in a manner that will eliminate all pest risk, will be complied with.

(3) Failure to comply with any of the conditions of an agreement specified in paragraph (a)(2) of this section may be cause for immediate cancellation of the agreement by the inspector and refusal to release, without vacuum fumigation, lint, linters, and waste for transportation to the mill or plant.

(4) Agreements specified in paragraph (a)(2) of this section may be executed only with owners or operators of mills or plants located in States in which cotton is not grown commercially and at locations in such other States as may be administratively designated by the Administrator after due consideration of possible pest risk involved and the proximity of growing cotton.

(b) Uncompressed or compressed. (1)(i) Entry of uncompressed or compressed lint, linters, and waste will be authorized, subject to vacuum fumigation by approved methods, through any northern port, through any port in the State of California, and through any port on the Mexican Border, where approved fumigation facilities are available.

(ii) Importations of such lint, linters, and waste arriving at a northern port where there are no approved fumigation facilities may be entered for immediate transportation in bond to another northern port where such facilities are available, for the required vacuum fumigation.

(iii) Compressed lint, linters, and waste arriving at a port in the State of California where there are no approved fumigation facilities may be entered for immediate transportation in bond by an all-water route if available, otherwise by overland transportation in van-type trucks or box cars after approved surface treatment, or under such other conditions as may be deemed necessary and are prescribed by the inspector, to any port in California or any northern port where approved fumigation facilities are available, there to receive the required vacuum fumigation before release, or to any northern port for movement to an approved mill or plant for utilization.

(iv) Uncompressed lint, linters, and waste arriving at a port in the State of California where there are no approved fumigation facilities may be entered for immediate transportation in bond by an all-water route to any port in California or any northern port where approved fumigation facilities are available, there to receive the required vacuum fumigation before release, or to a northern port for movement to an approved mill or plant for utilization.

(2) Entry without vacuum fumigation will be authorized for compressed lint, linters, and waste, and for uncompressed waste derived from cotton milled in countries that do not produce cotton,

2

arriving at a northern port, subject to movement to an approved mill or plant.

2 For the purposes of this subpart the following countries are considered to be those in which cotton is not produced: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Republic of Ireland (Eire), Finland, France, Germany (both East and West), Great Britain and Northern Ireland (United Kingdom), Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and Switzerland.

§ 319.8-9 Hull fiber and gin trash.

(a) Entry of hull fiber will be authorized under the same conditions as are applicable to waste under this subpart.

(b) Gin trash may be imported only under the provisions of § 319.8-20.

§ 319.8-10 Covers.

(a) Entry of covers (including bags, slit bags, and parts of bags) which have been used as containers for cotton grown or processed in countries other than the United States may be authorized either (1) through a Mexican border port named in the permit for vacuum fumigation by an approved method in that part of the United States within the generally infested pink bollworm regulated area; or (2) through a northern port or a port in the State of California subject to vacuum fumigation by an approved method or without vacuum fumigation when the covers are to be moved to an approved mill or plant for utilization. When such covers are forwarded from a northern port to a mill or plant in California for utilization, or from a California port to another California or northern port for vacuum fumigation thereat or for movement to a mill or plant for utilization such movement shall be made by an all-water route unless the bales are compressed to a density of 20 pounds or more per cubic foot in which case the bales may be moved overland in van-type trucks or box cars if all-water transportation is not available. Such overland movement may be made only after approved surface treatment or under such other conditions as may be deemed necessary and are prescribed by the inspector. When such covers arrive at a port other than a northern, California, or Mexican border port they will be required to be transported therefrom immediately in bond by an all-water route to a northern or California port where approved vacuum fumigation facilities are available for vacuum fumigation thereat by an approved method or for forwarding therefrom to an approved mill or plant for utilization.

(b) American cotton bagging, commonly known as coarse gunny, which has been used to cover only cotton grown or processed in the United States, may be authorized entry at any port under permit and upon compliance with §§ 319.8-4 and 319.8-5, without fumigation or other treatment. Marking patches of the finer burlaps or other fabrics when attached to bales of such bagging may be disregarded if, in the judgment of the inspector, they do not present a risk of carrying live pink bollworms, golden nematode cysts or flag smut spores.

(c) Bags, slit bags, parts of bags, and other covers which have been used as containers for root crops or are of a kind ordinarily used as containers for root crops may be authorized entry subject to immediate treatment in such manner and according to such method as the inspector may select from administratively authorized procedures known to be effective under the conditions under which the treatment is applied, and subject to any additional safeguard measures that may be prescribed by the inspector pursuant to § 319.8-24, or that he may prescribe in regard to the manner of discharge from the carrier and conveyance to the place of treatment: Provided, That such covers may be authorized entry from Canada without treatment as prescribed in this paragraph unless the covers are found to be contaminated.

(d) Bags, slit bags, parts of bags, and other covers that have been used as containers for wheat or wheat products that have not been so processed as to have destroyed all flag smut disease spores, or that have been used as containers for field seeds separated from wheat during the process of screening, and which arrive from a country named in § 319.59-2(a)(2) of this part, if intended for reuse in this country as grain containers may be authorized entry, subject to immediate treatment at the port of arrival. If such covers are not intended to be reused in this country as grain containers their entry may be authorized subject to movement for utilization to an approved mill or plant the owner or operator of which has executed an appropriate agreement with the Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs similar to that described in § 319.8-8(a)(2). Covers coming within this paragraph only, may be entered without permit other than the authorization provided in this paragraph and without other restriction under this subpart upon presentation to an inspector of satisfactory evidence that they have been used only for grains exported from the United States and are being returned empty without use abroad and that while abroad they have been handled in a manner to prevent their contamination.

(e) When upon arrival at a port of entry any shipment of bags, slit bags, parts of bags, or other covers, is found to include one or more bales containing material the importation of which is regulated by paragraph (a), (c), or (d) of this section, the entire shipment, or any portion thereof, may be required by the inspector to be treated as specified in the applicable paragraph.

(f) If upon their arrival at a port of entry covers are classified by the inspector as coming within more than one paragraph of this section, they will be authorized entry only upon compliance with such requirements of the applicable paragraphs as the inspector may deem necessary to prevent the introduction of plant diseases and insect pests.

(g) Notwithstanding the provisions of any other paragraph of this section the entry from any country of bags, slit bags, parts of bags, and other covers will be authorized without treatment but upon compliance with other applicable sections of this subpart if the inspector finds that they have obviously not been used in a manner that would contaminate them or when in the inspector's opinion there is otherwise no plant pest risk associated with their entry.

§ 319.8-11 From approved areas of Mexico.

(a) Entry of lint, linters, and waste (including gin and oil mill wastes) which were derived from cotton grown in, and which were produced and handled only in approved areas of Mexico

3

may be authorized through Mexican Border ports in Texas named in the permits

3 See § 319.8-1(p) for definition of “Approved areas of Mexico.” These are within that part of Mexico not included in the “West Coast of Mexico” (§ 319.8-1(q)) or “Northwest Mexico” (§ 319.8-1(r)).

(1) For movement into the generally infested pink bollworm regulated area such products becoming subject immediately upon release by the inspector to the requirements, in § 301.52 of this chapter, applicable to like products originating in the pink bollworm regulated area, or

(2) For movement to an approved mill or plant for utilization, or

(3) For movement to New Orleans for immediate vacuum fumigation.

(b) Entry of cottonseed or cottonseed hulls in bulk, or in covers that are new or which have not been used previously to contain cotton or unmanufactured cotton products, may be authorized through Mexican Border ports in Texas named in the permits, for movement into the generally infested pink bollworm regulated area when certified by an inspector as having been produced in an approved area and handled subsequently in a manner satisfactory to the inspector. Upon arrival in the generally infested pink bollworm regulated area such cottonseed or cottonseed hulls will be released from further plant quarantine entry requirements and shall become subject immediately to the requirements in § 301.52 of this chapter.

§ 319.8-12 From the West Coast of Mexico.

Contingent upon continued freedom of the West Coast of Mexico and of Northwest Mexico from infestations of the pink bollworm, entry of the following products may be authorized under permit subject to inspection to determine freedom from hazardous plant pest conditions:

(a) Compressed lint and linters.

(b) Uncompressed lint and linters for movement into the generally infested pink bollworm regulated area, movement thereafter to be in accordance with § 301.52 of this chapter.

(c) Compressed or uncompressed cotton waste for movement under bond to Fabens, Texas, for vacuum fumigation after which it will be released from further plant quarantine entry requirements.

(d) Cottonseed when certified by an inspector as having been treated, stored, and transported in a manner satisfactory to the Administrator.

(e) Untreated, non-certified cottonseed contained in new bags for movement by special manifest to any destination in the generally infested pink bollworm regulated area, movement thereafter to be in accordance with § 301.52 of this chapter.

(f) Cottonseed hulls when certified by an inspector as having been treated, stored, and transported in a manner satisfactory to the Administrator.

(g) Any cotton products for movement through Mexican border ports in Texas directly into the generally infested pink bollworm regulated area, movement thereafter to be in accordance with § 301.52 of this chapter.

§ 319.8-13 From Northwest Mexico.

Contingent upon continued freedom of Northwest Mexico and of the West Coast of Mexico from infestations of the pink bollworm and other plant pest conditions that would increase risk of pest introduction into the United States with importations authorized under this section, entry of the following products may be authorized under permit subject to inspection upon arrival to determine freedom from hazardous plant pest conditions:

(a) Lint, linters, and waste.

(b) Cottonseed.

(c) Cottonseed hulls.

(d) Covers that have been used for cotton only.

§ 319.8-14 Mexican cotton and covers not otherwise enterable.

Mexican cotton and covers not enterable under § 319.8-11, § 319.8-12, or § 319.8-13 may be entered in accordance with §§ 319.8-6 through 319.8-10 and §§ 319.8-16 through 319.8-20 insofar as said sections are applicable.

§ 319.8-16 Importation into United States of cotton and covers exported therefrom.

(a) Cotton and covers grown, produced, or handled in the United States and exported therefrom, and in the original bales or other containers in which such material was exported therefrom, may be imported into the United States at any port under permit, without vacuum fumigation or other treatment or restriction as to utilization, upon compliance with §§ 319.8-2, 319.8-4, and § 319.8-5, and upon the submission of evidence satisfactory to the inspector that such material was grown, produced, or handled in the United States and does not constitute a risk of introducing the pink bollworm into the United States.

(b) Cotton and covers of foreign origin imported into the United States in accordance with this subpart and exported therefrom, when in the original bales or other original containers, may be reimported into the United States under the conditions specified in paragraph (a) of this section.

§ 319.8-17 Importation for exportation, and importation for transportation and exportation; storage.

(a) Importation of cotton and covers for exportation, or for transportation and exportation, in accordance with this subpart shall also be subject to §§ 352.1 through 352.8 of this chapter, as amended.

(b) Importation at northern ports of unfumigated lint, linters, waste, cottonseed cake, cottonseed meal and covers used only for cotton, for exportation or for transportation and exportation through another northern port, may be authorized by the inspector under permit if, in his judgment, such procedures can be authorized without risk of introducing the pink bollworm.

(c) Entry under permit of lint, linters, or waste compressed to high density will be authorized for purposes of storage in the north pending exportation, fumigation, or utilization in an approved mill or plant provided the owner or operator of such proposed storage place has executed an agreement with the Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs similar to those required for mills or plants to utilize lint, linters, and waste as specified in § 319.8-8(a)(2), and provided further that

(1) Inspectors are available to supervise the storage,

(2) The bales of material to be stored are free from surface contamination,

(3) The material is kept segregated from other cotton and covers in a manner satisfactory to the inspector, and

(4) The waste is collected and disposed of in a manner satisfactory to the inspector.

(d) Except as provided in § 319.8-23(a)(4), compressed lint, linters, and waste, uncompressed waste derived from cotton milled in a non-cotton-producing country,

4

and covers, arriving at a port in the north for entry for exportation, vacuum fumigation, or utilization in accordance with the requirements in this subpart, may be allowed movement in Customs custody for storage at a point in the north pending such exportation, or movement to an approved mill or plant for vacuum fumigation or utilization, when there are inspectors available to supervise such storage, if the bales are free of surface contamination, if they are kept segregated from other cotton and covers in a manner satisfactory to the inspector, and if waste is collected and disposed of in a manner satisfactory to the inspector. Such lint, linters, waste, and covers shall remain under Customs custody until released by the inspector.

4 For the purposes of this subpart the following countries are considered as non-cotton-producing countries: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Eire, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain (United Kingdom), Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland.

(e) Importation of lint, linters, and waste from Mexico for transportation and exportation will be authorized under permit if such material is compressed before, or immediately upon entering into the United States, or is compressed while en route to the port of export at a compress specifically authorized in the permit. The ports of export which may be named in the permit shall be limited to those that have been administratively approved for such exportation. Storage of such compressed cotton may be authorized, in approved bonded warehouses in Texas.

(f) Entry of uncompressed lint, linters, and waste from Mexico may be authorized at ports named in the permit for exportation at ports within the generally infested pink bollworm regulated area or for transportation and exportation via rail to Canada under such conditions and over such routes as may be specified in the permit.

§ 319.8-18 Samples.

(a) Samples of lint, linters, waste, cottonseed cake, and cottonseed meal may be entered without further permit other than the authorization contained in this section, but subject to inspection and such treatment as the inspector may deem necessary. Samples which represent either such products of United States origin or such products imported into the United States in accordance with the requirements of this subpart, and which were exported from the United States, may be entered into the United States without inspection when the inspector is satisfied as to the identity of the samples.

(b) Samples of cottonseed or seed cotton may be entered subject to the conditions and requirements provided in §§ 319.8-2, 319.8-4, and 319.8-19.

(c) Bales or other containers of cotton shall not be broken or opened for sampling and samples shall not be drawn until the inspector has so authorized and has prescribed the conditions and safeguards under which such samples shall be obtained.

§ 319.8-21 Release of cotton and covers after 18 months' storage.

Cotton and covers, the entry of which has been authorized subject to vacuum fumigation or other treatment because of the pink bollworm only, and which have not received such treatment but have been stored for a period of 18 months or more will be released from further plant quarantine entry restrictions.

§ 319.8-22 Ports of entry or export.

When ports of entry or export are not specifically designated in this subpart but are left to the judgment of the inspector, the inspector shall designate only such ports as have been administratively approved for such entry or export.

§ 319.8-23 Treatment.

(a)(1) Vacuum fumigation as required in this subpart must be conducted in accordance with part 305 of this chapter.

(2) After cotton and covers have been vacuum fumigated they shall be so marked under the supervision of an inspector. Such material may thereafter be distributed, forwarded, or shipped without further plant quarantine entry restriction.

(3) Cotton and covers held by an importer for vacuum fumigation must be stored under conditions satisfactory to the inspector.

(4) Prompt vacuum fumigation of cotton and covers (other than high density cotton free of surface contamination) will be required at non-northern ports. Similar prompt vacuum fumigation will be required at Norfolk, Virginia, during the period June 15 to October 15 of each year, except for covers which have been used to contain only lint, linters, or waste, and the bales of which are compressed to a density of 28 or more pounds per cubic foot and are free of surface contamination.

(b) An inspector may authorize the substitution of processing, utilization, or other form of treatment for vacuum fumigation when in his opinion such other treatment, selected by him from administratively authorized procedures, will be effective in eliminating infestation of the pink bollworm.

§ 319.8-24 Collection and disposal of waste.

(a) Importers shall handle imported, unfumigated cotton and covers in a manner to avoid waste. If waste does occur, the importer or his or her agent shall collect and dispose of such waste in a manner satisfactory to the inspector.

(b) If, in the judgment of an inspector, it is necessary as a safeguard against risk of pest dispersal to clean railway cars, lighters, trucks, and other vehicles and vessels used for transporting such cotton or covers, or to clean piers, warehouses, fumigation plants, mills, or other premises used in connection with importation of such cotton or covers, the importer or his or her agent shall perform such cleaning, in a manner satisfactory to the inspector.

(c) All costs incident to such collection, disposal, and cleaning other than the services of the inspector during his or her regular tour of duty and at the usual place of duty, shall be borne by the importer or his or her agent.

§ 319.8-25 Costs and charges.

The services of the inspector during regularly assigned hours of duty and at the usual places of duty shall be furnished without cost to the importer. The Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs will not assume responsibility for any costs or charges, other than those indicated in this section, in connection with the entry, inspection, treatment, conditioning, storage, forwarding, or any other operation of any character incidental to the physical entry of an importation of a restricted material.

§ 319.8-26 Material refused entry.

Any material refused entry for noncompliance with the requirements of this subpart shall be promptly removed from the United States or abandoned by the importer for destruction, and pending such action shall be subject to the immediate application of such safeguards against escape of plant pests as the inspector may prescribe. If such material is not promptly safeguarded by the importer, removed from the United States, or abandoned for destruction to the satisfaction of the inspector it may be seized, destroyed, or otherwise disposed of in accordance with sections 414 and 421 of the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7714 and 7731). Neither the Department of Agriculture nor the inspector will be responsible for any costs accruing for demurrage, shipping charges, cartage, labor, chemicals, or other expenses incidental to the safeguarding or disposal of material refused entry by the inspector, nor will the Department of Agriculture or the inspector assume responsibility for the value of material destroyed.

§ 319.8a Administrative instructions relating to the entry of cotton and covers into Guam.

The plants and products specified in § 319.8(a) may be imported into Guam without further permit, other than the authorization contained in this paragraph. Sections 319.8-2 and 319.8-3 shall not be applicable to such importations. In addition, such importations need not comply with the requirements of § 319.8-4 relating to notice of arrival inasmuch as there is available to the inspector the essential information normally supplied by the importer at the time of importation. Sections 319.8-5 through 319.8-27 shall not be applicable to importations into Guam. Inspection of such importations may be made under the general authority of § 330.105(a) of this chapter. If an importation is found infected, infested, or contaminated with any plant pest and is not subject to disposal under this part, disposition may be made in accordance with § 330.106 of this chapter.

§ 319.15 Notice of quarantine.

(a) The importation into the United States of sugarcane and its related products, including cuttings, canes, leaves and bagasse, from all foreign countries and localities is prohibited, except for importations for experimental, therapeutic, or developmental purposes under the conditions specified in a controlled import permit issued in accordance with § 319.6.

(b) The importation of sugarcane plants (including any plant parts) that are for planting or capable of being planted is restricted under Subpart H—Plants for Planting of this part.

(c) As used in this subpart, unless the context otherwise requires, the term “United States” means the States, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands of the United States.

§ 319.15a Administrative instructions and interpretation relating to entry into Guam of bagasse and related sugarcane products.

Bagasse and related sugarcane products have been so processed that, in the judgment of the Department, their importation into Guam will involve no pest risk, and they may be imported into Guam without further permit, other than the authorization contained in this paragraph. Such importations may be made without the submission of a notice of arrival inasmuch as there is available to the inspector the essential information normally supplied by the importer at the time of importation. Inspection of such importations may be made under the general authority of § 330.105(a) of this chapter. If an importation is found infected, infested, or contaminated with any plant pest and is not subject to disposal under this part, disposition may be made in accordance with § 330.106 of this chapter.

§ 319.24 Notice of quarantine.

(a) The fact has been determined by the Secretary of Agriculture, and notice is hereby given, that maize or Indian corn (Zea mays L.) and closely related plants are subject to certain injurious diseases, especially Peronospora maydis Raciborski, Sclerospora sacchari Miyake and other downy mildews; also the Physoderma diseases of maize, Physoderma zeae-maydis Shaw, and Physoderma maydis Miyake, new to and not heretofore widely prevalent or distributed within and throughout the United States, and that these diseases occur in southeastern Asia (including India, Siam, Indo-China and China), Malayan Archipelago, Australia, Oceania, Philippine Islands, Formosa, Japan, and adjacent islands.

(b) The importation of corn plants (including any plant parts) that are for planting or capable of being planted is restricted in Subpart H—Plants for Planting of this part.

(c) Except as otherwise provided in this subpart, the importation into the United States of raw or unmanufactured corn seed and all other portions of Indian corn or maize and related plants, including all species of teosinte ( Euchlaena ), jobs-tears ( Coix ), Polytoca, Chionachne, and Sclerachne, from southeastern Asia (including India, Indochina, and the People's Republic of China), Malayan Archipelago, Australia, New Zealand, Oceania, Philippine Islands, Manchuria, Japan, and adjacent islands is prohibited. However, this prohibition does not apply to importations of such items for experimental, therapeutic, or developmental purposes under the conditions specified in a controlled import permit issued in accordance with § 319.6.

(d) As used in this subpart, unless the context otherwise requires, the term “United States” means the States, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands of the United States.

(e) Seed of Indian corn or maize ( Zea mays L. ) that is free from the cob and from all other parts of corn may be imported into the United States from New Zealand without further restriction.

§ 319.24-1 Application for permits for importation of corn.

Persons contemplating the importation of corn into the United States shall obtain a permit in accordance with §§ 319.7 through 319.7-5.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 0579-0049)

§ 319.24-3 Marking as condition of entry.

Every bag or other container of corn offered for entry shall be plainly marked with such numbers or marks as will make it easily possible to associate the bags or containers with a particular importation.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 0579-0049)

§ 319.24-5 Condition of entry.

The corn shall not be removed from the port of entry, nor shall any bag or other container thereof be broken or opened, except for the purpose of sterilization, until a written notice is given to the United States Collector of Customs, or, in the case of Guam, the Customs officer of the Government of Guam, by an inspector of the Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs, that the corn has been properly sterilized and released for entry without further restrictions so far as the jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture extends thereto. All apparatus and methods for accomplishing such sterilization must be satisfactory to the Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs. Corn will be delivered to the permittee for sterilization, upon the filing with the appropriate customs official of a bond in the amount of $5,000, or in an amount equal to the invoice value of the corn if such value is less than $5,000, with approved sureties, and conditioned upon sterilization of the corn under the supervision and the satisfaction of an inspector of the Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs; and upon the redelivery of the corn to said customs official within 40 days from the arrival of the corn at the port of entry.

§ 319.24a Administrative instructions relating to entry of corn into Guam.

Corn may be imported into Guam without further permit, other than the authorization contained in this section but subject to compliance with § 319.24-3. Such imports need not comply with the notice of arrival requirements of § 319.24-4 inasmuch as information equivalent to that in a notice of arrival is available to the inspector from another source. Section 319.24-5 shall not be applicable to importations of corn into Guam. Such importations shall be subject to inspection at the port of entry. Corn found upon inspection to contain disease infection will be subject to sterilization in accordance with methods selected by the inspector from administratively authorized procedures known to be effective under the conditions in which applied.

§ 319.37-1 Notice of quarantine.

(a) Under section 412(a) of the Plant Protection Act, the Secretary of Agriculture may prohibit or restrict the importation and entry of any plant or plant product if the Secretary determines that the prohibition or restriction is necessary to prevent the introduction into the United States or the dissemination within the United States of a plant pest or noxious weed.

(b) The Secretary has determined that it is necessary to designate the importation of certain taxa of plants for planting as not authorized pending pest risk analysis, as provided in § 319.37-4. The Secretary has determined that it is necessary to restrict the importation into the United States of all other plants for planting and to impose additional restrictions on the importation of specific types of plants for planting, in accordance with this subpart and as described in the Plants for Planting Manual.

(c) The importation of plants that are imported for processing or consumption, as determined by an inspector based on documentation accompanying the articles, is not subject to this subpart but may be subject to restrictions elsewhere in this part.

(d) The importation of taxa of plants for planting that are listed in parts 360 and 361 of this chapter is subject to the restrictions in those parts.

(e) The Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs also enforces regulations promulgated under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531-1544) which contain additional prohibitions and restrictions on importation into the United States of plants for planting subject to this subpart (see 50 CFR parts 17 and 23).

(f) Within the Plants for Planting Manual, one or more common names of plants for planting may be given in parentheses after most scientific names (when common names are known) for the purpose of helping to identify the plants for planting represented by such scientific names; however, unless otherwise specified, a reference to a scientific name includes all plants for planting within the taxon represented by the scientific name regardless of whether the common name or names are as comprehensive in scope as the scientific name. When restrictions apply to the importation of a taxon of plants for planting for which there are taxonomic synonyms, those restrictions apply to the importation of all the synonyms of that taxon as well.

§ 319.37-2 Definitions.

The following definitions apply to this subpart:

Administrator. The Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture, or any other employee of the United States Department of Agriculture authorized to act in his or her stead.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture.

Bulb. The portion of a plant commonly known as a bulb, bulbil, bulblet, corm, cormel, rhizome, tuber, or pip, and including fleshy roots or other underground fleshy growths, a unit of which produces an individual plant.

Consignment. A quantity of plants for planting being moved from one country to another and covered, when required, by a single phytosanitary certificate (a consignment may be composed of one or more lots or taxa).

Controlled import permit. A written or electronically transmitted authorization issued by APHIS for the importation into the United States of otherwise prohibited or restricted plant material for experimental, therapeutic, or developmental purposes, under controlled conditions as prescribed by the Administrator in accordance with § 319.6.

Earth. The softer matter composing part of the surface of the globe, in distinction from the firm rock, and including the soil and subsoil, as well as finely divided rock and other soil formation materials down to the rock layer.

From. Plants for planting are considered to be “from” any country or locality in which they are grown. Provided, That plants for planting imported into Canada from another country or locality shall be considered as being solely from Canada if they meet the following conditions:

(1) They are imported into the United States directly from Canada after having been grown for at least 1 year in Canada;

(2) They have never been grown in a country from which their importation would not be authorized pending pest risk analysis under § 319.37-4;

(3) They have never been grown in a country, other than Canada, from which it would be subject to certain restrictions on the importation of specific types of plants for planting under § 319.37-20, which are listed in the Plants for Planting Manual; Provided, that plants for planting that would be subject to postentry quarantine if imported into the United States may be imported from Canada after growth in another country if they were grown in Canada in postentry quarantine under conditions equivalent to those specified in the Plants for Planting Manual; and

(4) They were not imported into Canada in growing media.

Inspector. Any individual authorized by the Administrator or the Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security, to enforce the regulations in this part.

Lot. A number of units of a single commodity, identifiable by its homogeneity of composition and origin, forming all or part of a consignment.

Mother stock. A group of plants from which plant parts are taken to produce new plants.

National plant protection organization (NPPO). The official service established by a government to discharge the functions specified by the International Plant Protection Convention.

Noxious weed. Any plant or plant product that can directly or indirectly injure or cause damage to crops (including plants for planting or plant products), livestock, poultry, or other interests of agriculture, irrigation, navigation, the natural resources of the United States, the public health, or the environment.

Official control. The active enforcement of mandatory phytosanitary regulations and the application of mandatory phytosanitary procedures with the objective of eradication or containment of quarantine pests.

Person. Any individual, partnership, corporation, association, joint venture, or other legal entity.

Phytosanitary certificate. A document, including electronic versions, that is related to a restricted article and is issued not more than 15 days prior to shipment of the restricted article from the country in which it was grown and that:

(1) Is patterned after the model certificate of the International Plant Protection Convention, a multilateral convention on plant protection under the authority of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO);

(2) Is issued by an official of a foreign national plant protection organization in one of the five official languages of the FAO;

(3) Is addressed to the national plant protection organization of the United States (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service);

(4) Describes the shipment;

(5) Certifies the place of origin for all contents of the shipment;

(6) Certifies that the shipment has been inspected and/or tested according to appropriate official procedures and is considered free from quarantine pests of the United States;

(7) Contains any additional declarations required in the Plants for Planting Manual; and

(8) Certifies that the shipment conforms with the phytosanitary requirements of the United States and is considered eligible for importation pursuant to the laws and regulations of the United States.

Place of production. Any premises or collection of fields operated as a single production or farming unit. This may include production sites that are separately managed for phytosanitary purposes.

Plant. Any plant (including any plant part) for or capable of propagation, including a tree, a tissue culture, a plantlet culture, pollen, a shrub, a vine, a cutting, a graft, a scion, a bud, a bulb, a root, and a seed.

Plant broker. An entity that purchases or takes possession of plants for planting from an approved place of production for the purpose of exporting those plants without further growing beyond maintaining the plants until export.

Plant pest. Any living stage of any of the following that can directly or indirectly injure, cause damage to, or cause disease in any plant or plant product: A protozoan, a nonhuman animal, a parasitic plant, a bacterium, a fungus, a virus or viroid, an infectious agent or other pathogen, or any article similar to or allied with any of these articles.

Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs. The organizational unit within APHIS that is delegated responsibility for enforcing provisions of the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7701 et seq. ) and related legislation, quarantines, and regulations.

Planting. Any operation for the placing of plants in a growing medium, or by grafting or similar operations, to ensure their subsequent growth, reproduction, or propagation.

Plants for planting. Plants intended to remain planted, to be planted, or replanted.

Plants for Planting Manual. The document that contains restrictions on the importation of specific types of plants for planting, as provided in § 319.37-20, and other information about the importation of plants for planting as provided in this subpart. The Plants for Planting Manual is available on the internet at https://acir.aphis.usda.gov/s/plants-for-planting-hub, or by contacting the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine, Information Services and Manuals Unit, 4700 River Road, Riverdale, MD 20737.

Port of first arrival. The land area (such as a seaport, airport, or land border station) where a person, or a land, water, or air vehicle, first arrives after entering the territory of the United States, and where inspection of plants for planting is carried out by inspectors.

Preclearance. Phytosanitary inspection and/or clearance in the country in which the plants for planting were grown, performed by or under the regular supervision of APHIS.

Production site. A defined portion of a place of production utilized for the production of a commodity that is managed separately for phytosanitary purposes. This may include the entire place of production or portions of it. Examples of portions of places of production are a defined orchard, grove, field, greenhouse, screenhouse, or premises.

Quarantine pest. A plant pest or noxious weed that is of potential economic importance to the United States and not yet present in the United States, or present but not widely distributed and being officially controlled.

Regulated plant. A vascular or nonvascular plant. Vascular plants include gymnosperms, angiosperms, ferns, and fern allies. Gymnosperms include cycads, conifers, and gingko. Angiosperms include any flowering plant. Fern allies include club mosses, horsetails, whisk ferns, spike mosses, and quillworts. Nonvascular plants include mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and green algae.

Secretary. The Secretary of Agriculture, or any other officer or employee of the Department of Agriculture to whom authority to act in his/her stead has been or may hereafter be delegated.

Soil. The loose surface material of the earth in which plants, trees, and shrubs grow, in most cases consisting of disintegrated rock with an admixture of organic material and soluble salts.

Species (spp.). All species, clones, cultivars, strains, varieties, and hybrids of a genus.

State. Any of the several States of the United States, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Virgin Islands of the United States, or any other territory or possession of the United States.

State Plant Regulatory Official. The official authorized by the State to sign agreements with Federal agencies involving operations of the State plant protection agency.

Taxon (taxa). Any grouping within botanical nomenclature, such as family, genus, species, or cultivar.

Type of plants for planting. A grouping of plants for planting based on shared characteristics such as biological traits, morphology, botanical nomenclature, or risk factors.

United States. All of the States.

§ 319.37-3 General restrictions on the importation of plants for planting.

(a) The importation of certain taxa of plants for planting is not authorized pending pest risk analysis in accordance with § 319.37-4.

(b) General restrictions that apply to the importation of all plants for planting other than those whose importation is not authorized pending pest risk analysis are found in §§ 319.37-5 through 319.37-11.

(c) In accordance with § 319.37-20, the Administrator may impose restrictions on the importation of specific types of plants for planting. These restrictions are listed in the Plants for Planting Manual. Additional information on restrictions applicable to the importation of specific types of plants for planting can be found in §§ 319.37-20 through 319.37-23.

§ 319.37-4 Taxa of plants for planting whose importation is not authorized pending pest risk analysis.

(a) Determination by the Administrator. The importation of certain taxa of plants for planting poses a risk of introducing quarantine pests into the United States. Therefore, the importation of these taxa is not authorized pending the completion of a pest risk analysis, except as provided in paragraph (f) of this section. These taxa are listed in the Plants for Planting Manual. There are two categories of taxa whose importation is not authorized pending pest risk analysis: Taxa of plants for planting that are quarantine pests, and taxa of plants for planting that are hosts of quarantine pests. For taxa of plants for planting that have been determined to be quarantine pests, the list includes the names of the taxa. For taxa of plants for planting that are hosts of quarantine pests, the list includes the names of the taxa, the foreign places from which the taxa's importation is not authorized, and the quarantine pests of concern.

(b) Addition of taxa. A taxon of plants for planting may be added to one of the lists of taxa not authorized for importation pending pest risk analysis under this section as follows:

(1) Data sheet. APHIS will publish in the Federal Register a document that announces our determination that a taxon of plants for planting is either a quarantine pest or a host of a quarantine pest. This notice will make available a data sheet that details the scientific evidence APHIS evaluated in making the determination that the taxon is a quarantine pest or a host of a quarantine pest. The data sheet will include references to the scientific evidence that APHIS used in making the determination. In our notice, we will provide for a public comment period of a minimum of 60 days on our additions to the list.

(2) Response to comments. (i) APHIS will issue a notice after the close of the public comment period indicating that the taxon will be added to the list of taxa not authorized for importation pending pest risk analysis if:

(A) No comments were received on the data sheet;

(B) The comments on the data sheet revealed that no changes to the data sheet were necessary; or

(C) Changes to the data sheet were made in response to public comments, but the changes did not affect APHIS' determination that the taxon poses a risk of introducing a quarantine pest into the United States.

(ii) If comments present information that leads us to determine that the importation of the taxon does not pose a risk of introducing a quarantine pest into the United States, APHIS will not add the taxon to the list of plants for planting whose importation is not authorized pending pest risk analysis. APHIS will issue a notice giving public notice of this determination after the close of the comment period.

(c) Criterion for listing a taxon of plants for planting as a quarantine pest. A taxon will be added to the list of taxa whose importation is not authorized pending pest risk analysis if scientific evidence causes APHIS to determine that the taxon is a quarantine pest.

(d) Criteria for listing a taxon of plants for planting as a host of a quarantine pest. A taxon will be added to the list of taxa whose importation is not authorized pending pest risk analysis if scientific evidence causes APHIS to determine that the taxon is a host of a quarantine pest. The following criteria must be fulfilled in order to make this determination:

(1) The plant pest in question must be determined to be a quarantine pest; and

(2) The taxon of plants for planting must be determined to be a host of that quarantine pest.

(e) Removing a taxon from the list of taxa not authorized pending pest risk analysis. (1) Requests to remove a taxon from the list of taxa whose importation is not authorized pending pest risk analysis (NAPPRA) must be made in accordance with § 319.5. APHIS will conduct a pest risk analysis in response to such a request. The pest risk analysis will examine the risk associated with the importation of that taxon as well as measures available to mitigate that risk. The pest risk analysis may analyze importation of the taxon from a specific area, country, or countries, or from all areas of the world. The conclusions of the pest risk analysis will apply accordingly.

(2) If the pest risk analysis indicates that the taxon is a quarantine pest or a host of a quarantine pest and the Administrator determines that there are no measures available that adequately mitigate the risk of introducing a quarantine pest into the United States through the taxon's importation, we will continue to list the taxon as not authorized for importation pending pest risk analysis. We will publish a notice making the pest risk analysis available for comment. If comments cause us to change our determination, we will publish another notice in accordance with either paragraph (e)(3) or (4) of this section, as appropriate. If comments do not cause us to change our determination, we will publish a second notice responding to the comments and affirming our determination that the taxon should continue to be listed as NAPPRA.

(3) If the pest risk analysis supports a determination that importation of the taxon be allowed subject to taxon-specific restrictions, APHIS will publish a notice making the pest risk analysis available to the public for comment in accordance with the process in § 319.37-20(c).

(4) If the pest risk analysis supports a determination that importation of the taxon be allowed subject to the general restrictions of this subpart, APHIS will publish a notice announcing our intent to remove the taxon from the list of taxa whose importation is not authorized pending pest risk analysis and making the pest risk analysis supporting the taxon's removal available for public comment.

(i) APHIS will issue a notice after the close of the public comment period indicating that the importation of the taxon will be subject only to the general restrictions of this subpart if:

(A) No comments were received on the pest risk analysis;

(B) The comments on the pest risk analysis revealed that no changes to the pest risk analysis were necessary; or

(C) Changes to the pest risk analysis were made in response to public comments, but the changes did not affect the overall conclusions of the analysis and the Administrator's determination that the importation of the taxon does not pose a risk of introducing a quarantine pest into the United States.

(ii) If information presented by commenters indicates that the pest risk analysis needs to be revised, APHIS will issue a notice after the close of the public comment period indicating that the importation of the taxon will continue to be listed as not authorized pending pest risk analysis while the information presented by commenters is analyzed and incorporated into the pest risk analysis. APHIS will subsequently publish a new notice announcing the availability of the revised pest risk analysis.

(5) APHIS may also remove a taxon from the list of taxa whose importation is not authorized pending pest risk analysis when APHIS determines that the evidence used to add the taxon to the list was erroneous (for example, involving a taxonomic misidentification).

(f) Controlled import permits. Any plants for planting whose importation is not authorized pending pest risk analysis in accordance with this section may be imported or offered for entry into the United States if:

(1) Imported for experimental, therapeutic, or developmental purposes under the conditions specified in a controlled import permit issued in accordance with § 319.6;

(2) Imported at the National Plant Germplasm Inspection Station, Building 580, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center East, Beltsville, MD 20705 or through any USDA plant inspection station listed in the Plants for Planting Manual;

(3) Imported pursuant to a controlled import permit issued for such plants for planting and kept on file at the port of entry;

(4) Imported under conditions specified on the controlled import permit and found by the Administrator to be adequate to prevent the introduction into the United States of quarantine pests, i.e., conditions of treatment, processing, growing, shipment, disposal; and

(5) Imported with a controlled import tag or label securely attached to the outside of the container containing the plants for planting or securely attached to the plant itself if not in a container, and with such tag or label bearing a controlled import permit number corresponding to the number of the controlled import permit issued for such plants for planting.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 0579-0380)

§ 319.37-5 Permits.

(a)(1) Plants for planting may be imported or offered for importation into the United States only after issuance of a written permit by the Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs, except as provided in the Plants for Planting Manual. Exceptions from the requirement for a written permit will be added, changed, or removed in accordance with § 319.37-20.

(2) Plants for planting whose importation is subject to postentry quarantine, as listed in the Plants for Planting Manual, must also be imported under an importer postentry quarantine growing agreement in accordance with § 319.37-23(c).

(b) An application for a written permit should be submitted to the Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine, Permits, Permit Unit, 4700 River Road, Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737-1236) at least 30 days prior to arrival of the plants for planting at the port of entry. Application forms are available without charge from that address or on the internet at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/permits/ppq_epermits.shtml. The completed application shall include the following information:

(1) Name, address, and telephone number of the importer;

(2) The taxon or taxa and the approximate quantity of plants for planting intended to be imported;

(3) Country(ies) or locality(ies) where grown;

(4) Intended United States port of entry;

(5) Means of transportation, e.g., mail, airmail, express, air express, freight, airfreight, or baggage; and

(6) Expected date of arrival.

(c) A permit indicating the applicable conditions for importation under this subpart will be issued by Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs if, after review of the application, the plants for planting are deemed eligible to be imported into the United States under the conditions specified in the permit. However, even if such a permit is issued, the plants for planting may be imported only if all applicable requirements of this subpart are met and only if an inspector at the port of entry determines that no remedial measures pursuant to the Plant Protection Act are necessary with respect to the plants for planting.

1

1 An inspector may hold, seize, quarantine, treat, apply other remedial measures to, destroy, or otherwise dispose of plants, plant pests, or other articles in accordance with sections 414, 421, and 434 of the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7714, 7731, and 7754).

(d) Any permit that has been issued may be revoked by an inspector or APHIS in accordance with § 319.7-4.

(e) Any plants for planting not required to be imported with a permit in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section may be imported or offered for importation into the United States only after issuance of an oral authorization for importation issued by an inspector at the port of entry.

(f) An oral authorization for importation of plants for planting shall be issued at a port of entry by an inspector only if all applicable requirements of this subpart are met, such plants for planting are eligible to be imported under an oral authorization, and an inspector at the port of entry determines that no measures pursuant to section 414 of the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7714) are necessary with respect to such plants for planting.

(g) Persons wishing to import plants for planting into the United States for experimental, therapeutic, or developmental purposes must apply for a controlled import permit in accordance with §§ 319.6 and 319.37-3.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control numbers 0579-0190, 0579-0285, and 0579-0319)

§ 319.37-6 Phytosanitary certificates.

(a) Phytosanitary certificates. Any plants for planting offered for importation into the United States must be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate, except as described in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section. The phytosanitary certificate must identify the genus of the plants for planting it accompanies. When the importation of individual species or cultivars within a genus is restricted in accordance with § 319.37-20, the phytosanitary certificate must also identify the species or cultivar of the plants for planting it accompanies. Otherwise, identification of the species is strongly preferred, but not required. Intergeneric and interspecific hybrids must be designated by placing the multiplication sign “×” between the names of the parent taxa. If the hybrid is named, the multiplication sign may instead be placed before the name of an intergeneric hybrid or before the epithet in the name of an interspecific hybrid.

(b) Small lots of seed. Lots of seed may be imported without a phytosanitary certificate required by paragraph (a) of this section under the following conditions:

(1) The importation of the seed is authorized by a written permit issued in accordance with § 319.37-5.

(2) The seed is not listed as not authorized pending pest risk analysis, as provided in § 319.37-4; is not of any noxious weed species listed in part 360 of this chapter; is not subject to restrictions on specific types of plants for planting as provided in § 319.37-20; is not restricted under the regulations in parts 330 and 340 of this chapter; and meets the requirements of part 361 of this chapter.

(3) The seed meets the following packaging and shipping requirements:

(i) Each seed packet is clearly labeled with the name of the collector/shipper, the country of origin, and the scientific name at least to the genus, and preferably to the species, level;

(ii) There are a maximum of 50 seeds of 1 taxon (taxonomic category such as genus, species, cultivar, etc.) per packet; or a maximum weight not to exceed 10 grams of seed of 1 taxon per packet;

(iii) There are a maximum of 50 seed packets per shipment;

(iv) The seeds are free from pesticides;

(v) The seeds are securely packaged in packets or envelopes and sealed to prevent spillage;

(vi) The shipment is free from soil, plant material other than seed, other foreign matter or debris, seeds in the fruit or seed pod, and living organisms such as parasitic plants, pathogens, insects, snails, mites; and

(vii) At the time of importation, the shipment is sent to either the Plant Germplasm Quarantine Center in Beltsville, MD, or a USDA plant inspection station.

(c) Importation of other plants for planting without phytosanitary certificates. (1) The Administrator may authorize the importation of types of plants for planting without a phytosanitary certificate if the plants for planting are accompanied by equivalent documentation agreed upon by the Administrator and the NPPO of the exporting country as sufficient to establish the eligibility of the plants for importation into the United States. The documentation must be provided by the NPPO or refer to documentation provided by the NPPO. The documentation must be agreed upon before the plants for planting are exported from the exporting country to the United States.

(2) The Administrator may impose additional restrictions on the importation of plants for planting that are not accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate to ensure that the plants are appropriately identified and free of quarantine pests.

(3) The Plants for Planting Manual lists types of plants for planting that are not required to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate; the countries from which their importation without a phytosanitary certificate is authorized; the approved documentation of eligibility for importation; and any additional conditions on their importation.

(4) Types of plants for planting may be added to or removed from the list of plants for planting that are not required to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate in accordance with § 319.37-20. The requirements for importing types of plants for planting without a phytosanitary certificate may also be changed by a notice issued in accordance with § 319.37-20. The notice published for comment will describe the documentation agreed upon by the Administrator and the NPPO of the exporting country and any additional restrictions to be imposed on the importation of the type of plants for planting.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control numbers 0579-0142, 0579-0190, 0579-0285, and 0579-0319)

§ 319.37-7 Marking and identity.

(a) Any consignment of plants for planting for importation, other than by mail at the time of importation, or offer for importation into the United States shall plainly and correctly bear on the outer container (if in a container) or the plants for planting (if not in a container) the following information:

(1) General nature and quantity of the contents;

(2) Country and locality where grown;

(3) Name and address of shipper, owner, or person shipping or forwarding the plants for planting;

(4) Name and address of consignee;

(5) Identifying shipper's mark and number; and

(6) Number of written permit authorizing the importation, if one was required under § 319.37-5.

(b) Any consignment of plants for planting for importation by mail shall be plainly and correctly addressed and mailed to the Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs at a port of entry listed in the Plants for Planting Manual as approved to receive imported plants for planting, shall be accompanied by a separate sheet of paper within the package plainly and correctly bearing the name, address, and telephone number of the intended recipient, and shall plainly and correctly bear on the outer container the following information:

(1) General nature and quantity of the contents;

(2) Country and locality where grown;

(3) Name and address of shipper, owner, or person shipping or forwarding the plants for planting; and

(4) Number of written permit authorizing the importation, if one was required under § 319.37-5.

(c) Any consignment of plants for planting for importation (by mail or otherwise), at the time of importation or offer for importation into the United States shall be accompanied by an invoice or packing list indicating the contents of the consignment.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control numbers 0579-0190 and 0579-0319)

§ 319.37-8 Ports of entry: Approved ports, notification of arrival, inspection, and refusal of entry.

(a) Approved ports of entry. Any plants for planting required to be imported under a written permit in accordance with § 319.37-5(a), if not precleared, must be imported or offered for importation only at a USDA plant inspection station, unless the Plants for Planting Manual indicates otherwise. Ports of entry through which plants for planting must pass through before arriving at these USDA plant inspection stations are listed in the Plants for Planting Manual. All other plants for planting may be imported or offered for importation at any Customs designated port of entry indicated in 19 CFR 101.3(b)(1). Exceptions may be listed in § 330.104 of this chapter. Plants for planting that are required to be imported under a written permit that are also precleared in the country of export are not required to enter at an inspection station and may enter through any Customs port of entry. Exceptions may be listed in § 330.104 of this chapter.

(b) Notification upon arrival at the port of entry. Promptly upon arrival of any plants for planting at a port of entry, the importer shall notify the Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs of the arrival by such means as a manifest, Customs entry document, commercial invoice, waybill, a broker's document, or a notice form provided for that purpose.

(c) Inspection and treatment. Any plants for planting may be sampled and inspected by an inspector at the port of first arrival and/or under preclearance inspection arrangements in the country in which the plants for planting were grown, and must undergo treatment in accordance with part 305 of this chapter if treatment is ordered by the inspector. Any plants for planting found upon inspection to contain or be contaminated with quarantine pests that cannot be eliminated by treatment will be denied entry at the first United States port of arrival and must be destroyed or shipped to a point outside the United States.

(d) Disposition of plants for planting not in compliance with this subpart. The importer of any plants for planting denied entry for noncompliance with this subpart must, at the importer's expense and within the time specified in an emergency action notification (PPQ Form 523), destroy, ship to a point outside the United States, treat in accordance with part 305 of this chapter, or apply other safeguards to the plants for planting, as prescribed by an inspector, to prevent the introduction into the United States of quarantine pests. In choosing which action to order and in setting the time limit for the action, the inspector shall consider the degree of pest risk presented by the plant pest associated with the plants for planting, whether the plants for planting are a host of the pest, the types of other host materials for the pest in or near the port, the climate and season at the port in relation to the pest's survival range, and the availability of treatment facilities for the plants for planting.

(e) Removal of plants for planting from port of first arrival. No person shall remove any plants for planting from the port of first arrival unless and until notice is given to the collector of customs by the inspector that the plants for planting has satisfied all requirements under this subpart.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control numbers 0579-0190, 0579-0310, and 0579-0319)

§ 319.37-9 Treatment of plants for planting; costs and charges for inspection and treatment; treatments applied outside the United States.

(a) The services of a Plant Protection and Quarantine inspector during regularly assigned hours of duty and at the usual places of duty shall be furnished without cost to the importer.

2

No charge will be made to the importer for Government-owned or -controlled special inspection facilities and equipment used in treatment, but the inspector may require the importer to furnish any special labor, chemicals, packing materials, or other supplies required in handling an importation under the regulations in this subpart. The Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs will not be responsible for any costs or charges, other than those indicated in this section.

2 Provisions relating to costs for other services of an inspector are contained in part 354 of this chapter.

(b) Any treatment performed in the United States on plants for planting must be performed at the time of importation into the United States. Treatment shall be performed by an inspector or under an inspector's supervision at a Government-operated special inspection facility, except that an importer may have such treatment performed at a nongovernmental facility if the treatment is performed at nongovernment expense under the supervision of an inspector and in accordance with part 305 of this chapter and in accordance with any treatment required by an inspector as an emergency measure in order to prevent the dissemination of any quarantine pests. However, treatment may be performed at a nongovernmental facility only in cases of unavailability of government facilities and only if, in the judgment of an inspector, the plants for planting can be transported to such nongovernmental facility without the risk of introduction into the United States of quarantine pests.

(c) Any treatment performed outside the United States must be monitored and certified by an APHIS inspector or an official from the NPPO of the exporting country. If monitored and certified by an official of the NPPO of the exporting country, then a phytosanitary certificate must be issued with the following declaration: “The consignment of (fill in taxon) has been treated in accordance with 7 CFR part 305.” During the entire interval between treatment and export, the consignment must be stored and handled in a manner that prevents any infestation by quarantine pests.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 0579-0190)