7 U.S.C. § 7711

Current through P.L. 118-47 (published on www.congress.gov on 03/23/2024)

Section 7711 - Regulation of movement of plant pests

(a) Prohibition of unauthorized movement of plant pests

Except as provided in subsection (c), no person shall import, enter, export, or move in interstate commerce any plant pest, unless the importation, entry, exportation, or movement is authorized under general or specific permit and is in accordance with such regulations as the Secretary may issue to prevent the introduction of plant pests into the United States or the dissemination of plant pests within the United States.

(b) Requirements for processes

The Secretary shall ensure that the processes used in developing regulations under subsection (a) governing consideration of import requests are based on sound science and are transparent and accessible.

(c) Authorization of movement of plant pests by regulation

(1) Exception to permit requirement

The Secretary may issue regulations to allow the importation, entry, exportation, or movement in interstate commerce of specified plant pests without further restriction if the Secretary finds that a permit under subsection (a) is not necessary.

(2) Petition to add or remove plant pests from regulation

Any person may petition the Secretary to add a plant pest to, or remove a plant pest from, the regulations issued by the Secretary under paragraph (1).

(3) Response to petition by the Secretary

In the case of a petition submitted under paragraph (2), the Secretary shall act on the petition within a reasonable time and notify the petitioner of the final action the Secretary takes on the petition. The Secretary's determination on the petition shall be based on sound science.

(d) Prohibition of unauthorized mailing of plant pests

(1) In general

Any letter, parcel, box, or other package containing any plant pest, whether sealed as letter-rate postal matter or not, is nonmailable and shall not knowingly be conveyed in the mail or delivered from any post office or by any mail carrier, unless the letter, parcel, box, or other package is mailed in compliance with such regulations as the Secretary may issue to prevent the dissemination of plant pests into the United States or interstate.

(2) Application of postal laws and regulations

Nothing in this subsection authorizes any person to open any mailed letter or other mailed sealed matter except in accordance with the postal laws and regulations.

(e) Regulations

Regulations issued by the Secretary to implement subsections (a), (c), and (d) may include provisions requiring that any plant pest imported, entered, to be exported, moved in interstate commerce, mailed, or delivered from any post office-

(1) be accompanied by a permit issued by the Secretary prior to the importation, entry, exportation, movement in interstate commerce, mailing, or delivery of the plant pest;

(2) be accompanied by a certificate of inspection issued (in a manner and form required by the Secretary) by appropriate officials of the country or State from which the plant pest is to be moved;

(3) be raised under post-entry quarantine conditions by or under the supervision of the Secretary for the purposes of determining whether the plant pest-

(A) may be infested with other plant pests;

(B) may pose a significant risk of causing injury to, damage to, or disease in any plant or plant product; or

(C) may be a noxious weed; and

(4) be subject to remedial measures the Secretary determines to be necessary to prevent the spread of plant pests.

7 U.S.C. § 7711

Pub. L. 106-224, title IV, §411, June 20, 2000, 114 Stat. 440.

STATUTORY NOTES AND RELATED SUBSIDIARIES

TRANSFER OF FUNCTIONSFor transfer of functions of the Secretary of Agriculture relating to agricultural import and entry inspection activities under this chapter to the Secretary of Homeland Security, and for treatment of related references, see sections 231, 551(d), 552(d),and 557 of Title 6, Domestic Security, and the Department of Homeland Security Reorganization Plan of November 25, 2002, as modified, set out as a note under section 542 of Title 6.

Secretary: The term "Secretary" means the Secretary of Agriculture.
State: The term "State" means 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.
United States: The term "United States" means all of the States.
interstate commerce: The term "interstate commerce" means trade, traffic, or other commerce-(A) between a place in a State and a point in another State, or between points within the same State but through any place outside that State; or(B) within the District of Columbia, Guam, the Virgin Islands of the United States, or any other territory or possession of the United States.
interstate: The term "interstate" means-(A) from one State into or through any other State; or(B) within the District of Columbia, Guam, the Virgin Islands of the United States, or any other territory or possession of the United States.
noxious weed: The term "noxious weed" means any plant or plant product that can directly or indirectly injure or cause damage to crops (including nursery stock 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.
permit: The term "permit" means a written or oral authorization, including by electronic methods, by the Secretary to move plants, plant products, biological control organisms, plant pests, noxious weeds, or articles under conditions prescribed by the Secretary.
person: The term "person" means any individual, partnership, corporation, association, joint venture, or other legal entity.
plant pest: The term "plant pest" means 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) A protozoan.(B) A nonhuman animal.(C) A parasitic plant.(D) A bacterium.(E) A fungus.(F) A virus or viroid.(G) An infectious agent or other pathogen.(H) Any article similar to or allied with any of the articles specified in the preceding subparagraphs.
plant product: The term "plant product" means-(A) any flower, fruit, vegetable, root, bulb, seed, or other plant part that is not included in the definition of plant; or(B) any manufactured or processed plant or plant part.
plant: The term "plant" means 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.
entry: The terms "enter" and "entry" mean to move into, or the act of movement into, the commerce of the United States.
enter: The terms "enter" and "entry" mean to move into, or the act of movement into, the commerce of the United States.
export: The terms "export" and "exportation" mean to move from, or the act of movement from, the United States to any place outside the United States.
exportation: The terms "export" and "exportation" mean to move from, or the act of movement from, the United States to any place outside the United States.
import: The terms "import" and "importation" mean to move into, or the act of movement into, the territorial limits of the United States.
importation: The terms "import" and "importation" mean to move into, or the act of movement into, the territorial limits of the United States.