Washington Administrative Code

(1) Laboratories must apply for accreditation renewal each year after initial accreditation to maintain their accreditation status.(2) Renewal application documents must be submitted to the department at least 60 days prior to their accreditation expiration date. Documents may be…

Upon review of the accreditation application and required documents, the department will either:(1) Notify the applicant laboratory of any missing items or amendments necessary to approve the application.(2) Approve the application, schedule an audit, and accredit the laboratory …

(1) The department will review and approve the laboratory's quality assurance (QA) manual prior to the department's initial and continued accreditation on-site audit of the lab.(2) The QA manual submitted concurrently with the application must be in detail and scope commensurate …

(1) The department will review the laboratory's standard operating procedures (SOP) on-site during each audit.(2) The SOP must be in detail sufficient to assure consistent and replicable results by any qualified employee at the laboratory.(3) Guidelines for contents of a standard…

(1) During audits and when necessary, the department will ask the lab to demonstrate data and record traceability with documentation. To demonstrate this, a cannabis laboratory must:(a) Be able to recreate sample results by means of records in entirety, starting at receipt of the…

(1) The laboratory must participate in an approved proficiency testing (PT) program on an ongoing basis and achieve a passing score for each field of testing parameter for which the lab will be or is accredited.(2) The cost of obtaining and testing PT samples is the sole responsi…

(1) A laboratory must undergo an audit by the department to assess critical elements and areas of required standard practices.(a) All accredited laboratories will be audited on an annual basis. The laboratory must assist or accommodate department personnel and auditors during aud…

(1) For the purpose of conducting audits, the department may, during regular business hours, enter business premises in which analytical data relevant to accreditation under the provisions of this chapter are generated or stored.(2) A laboratory's refusal to permit the department…

(1) After the department's determination that an applicant laboratory has met the requirements in chapter 16-309 WAC and this chapter, the department will grant approval of the application and provide the applicant laboratory with proof of accreditation and a scope of accreditati…

(1) The department may grant interim accreditation if the laboratory is unable to complete an audit for accreditation for a specific parameter, but all other requirements of accreditation have been satisfied.(2) The department may also require the laboratory to submit analytical …

(1) The department may approve an existing laboratory with prior accreditation for provisional accreditation when the department determines that the laboratory can consistently produce valid analytical data but has deficiencies requiring corrective action.(a) When the laboratory …

(1) The department may deny accreditation for reasons including, but not limited to, the following laboratory actions:(a) Failure to comply with standards of this chapter;(b) Misrepresenting itself to the department;(c) Failure to disclose pertinent information in the application…

The department may suspend or revoke laboratory accreditation.(1) The department may revoke or suspend the entire accreditation and scope of accreditation or one or more individual parameters.(a) Suspension of accreditation by the department is for a specified period during which…

(1) The laboratory may withdraw from the accreditation program by sending a letter to the department signed by the laboratory director containing the last date they will perform testing under this program.(2) The laboratory will remain responsible for any storage of data acquired…

(1) The laboratory must pay a nonrefundable initial or transfer application fee in the amount of $3,200 to the department before the application will be reviewed and an audit will be conducted.(2) Audit fees must be paid at least 30 days prior to the initial accreditation audit o…

A laboratory's scientific director may appeal final accreditation actions within 25 days of notification of final action in accordance with chapters 34.05 RCW and 16-08 WAC.[Statutory Authority: RCW 69.50.348. WSR 24-13-102, § 16-310-210, filed 6/18/24, effective 7/1/24.]

The Washington State Crop Improvement Association is designated to act as the authorized agent of the director of agriculture for the purpose of assisting in certifying forest tree seeds and shall perform such duties as the director may assign as provided in chapter 15.49 RCW, sp…

(1) Purpose. The purpose of certification of forest reproductive material is to make available reproductive material properly identified by species or species and cultivar, and by source or source and origin.(2) Definitions:(a) "Applicant" means the person or organization who sub…

(1) "Tested class" means that forest reproductive material came from tree(s) which have been tested for specific character(s) as determined by progeny or other applicable tests and under specified conditions. Further, such forest reproductive material is produced and processed in…

(1) The conditions of applicant's submittal and of certifying agency's acceptance of application are:(a) The application should show all classes for which certification services are requested.(b) All reproductive material acquired or distributed by applicant of a type for which c…

(1) Tested and selected classes. Applicant shall maintain continuous record(s) satisfactory to certifying agency which maintains the identity of the reproductive material through all stages of production, collection, processing, storage, and disbursement from stores, and, in addi…

(1) Applicant shall maintain a continuous record for each lot and batch of reproductive material at each plant or warehouse, showing lot and batch number or code, species, seed zone, breeding zone or code, elevation increment, date received and units of reproductive material. Rep…

Affixing of label or label and seal to a container of forest reproductive material or to a certificate of provenance or certificate of genetic identity by the certifying agency affirms that to the best of its knowledge the reproductive material meets these forest reproductive mat…

(1) When lots collected in the same or different crop seasons are deliberately mixed, the new lot shall be given a new identification number and certification label. The certification class shall drop to the lowest certification class represented in the new lot.(2) For the tested…

Any lot may be rejected if certifying agency determines that said lot fails to meet these standards. The privilege of certification may be withdrawn by certifying agency for a definite period of time in case of flagrant violations of field or processing standards. If applicant be…

The following fees shall be charged for services performed by the diagnostic laboratory of the laboratory services division, state department of agriculture:(1) Requests for special scheduling of tests to be conducted within twenty-four hours of sample receipt (STAT testing) will…

(1) Mint planting stock may be designated as foundation stock, registered stock or certified stock if the planting stock and plants from which it has been propagated have been inspected, tested and determined to meet the requirements of this chapter.(2) The applicant must furnish…

(1) "Certified planting stock" means planting stock produced directly from registered planting stock in compliance with this chapter.(2) "Department" means the Washington state department of agriculture.(3) "Foundation planting stock" means planting stock originating directly fro…

(1) Planting sites for production of certified or registered mint planting stock must be inspected and approved by the department at least thirty days prior to planting. At a minimum, land for a planting site must fulfill all of the following conditions:(a) It must not have grown…

(1) The department will conduct a minimum of two field inspections of registered and certified mint planting stock at times when plants are likely to express symptoms or damage from verticillium wilt, mint root borer, mint flea beetle, mint stem borer, strawberry root weevil, roo…

(1) Washington No. 1 mint planting stock consists of mint rhizomes with similar varietal characteristics which are (a) fresh, (b) firm, (c) moist, (d) free of mold, (e) free of detectable, detrimental insects, nematodes, diseases and other pests, and (f) reasonably free of excess…

(1) Issuance of a state of Washington certified plant tag, stamp or other document under this chapter means only that the tagged, stamped or otherwise documented mint planting stock has been subjected to procedures and requirements described in this chapter and determined to be i…

(1) The department will issue a certificate for mint planting stock that meets the requirements of this chapter and will authorize the use of official certificates and seals for the identification of such planting stock. The certificate will indicate presence of noxious weeds at …

"Certification" means that the lot of seed potatoes was inspected and meets the requirements of this chapter."Cull" means any lot of potatoes rejected for certification for any reason."Department" means the department of agriculture of the state of Washington."Director" means the…

(1) Participation in this program is voluntary, except as provided in chapter 15.15 RCW, and may be withdrawn at the option of the applicant.(2) The department will refuse or cancel certification of any seed potato planting or seed potato lot that fails to comply with this chapte…

(1) To apply for certification, applicants must use the form provided by the department and furnish all information requested, including the date, name, signature and address of the applicant, lot number, seed source identification number, variety, class planted, acres, date plan…

(1) The seed potato certification fee is twenty-nine dollars per acre or fraction of an acre.(2) The certification fee for a field plot is twenty dollars per application.(3) The department may assess additional fees for time and mileage pursuant to chapter 16-470 WAC.(4) Growers …

(1) All seed potatoes entered for certification are classified on the basis of production phases as follows:(a) Prenuclear (PN) - Micropropagated potatoes or seed potatoes grown in a greenhouse or screenhouse under sanitary conditions free of insects, weeds that can harbor potato…

(1) A grower may not recertify any seed lots, except nuclear, if ring rot has been detected on their seed potato farm during the previous two years. Nuclear seed potatoes may be recertified by the original grower if laboratory testing of the seed by a laboratory approved by the d…

(1) Only seed potatoes derived from plants that have been disease tested and certified by an official certification agency are eligible for certification.(2) Only seed lots that meet or exceed the minimum requirements as established in this chapter are eligible for certification.…

(1) All field locations for nuclear and generation 1 production must have prior approval from the department.(2) Generation 2 through generation 5 must be isolated by at least three hundred fifty feet from all noncertified potatoes.(3) When ring rot is found in a field planted wi…

(1) The department will not accept any field infested with nematodes.(2) Detection of ring rot in a field will make that field ineligible for production of certified seed potatoes for three years. Presence of volunteer potato plants in a field with ring rot history will disqualif…

(1) Chemicals used in the sanitation of equipment should be those recommended by the Pacific Northwest Plant Disease Management Handbook. This handbook is available online at:http://pnwhandbooks.org/plantdisease/. Vector control must be maintained throughout the growing season as…

(1) Compliance with a 0.0% tolerance is not intended, nor should it be construed, to mean that the lot inspected is free from the disease. It means that the disease was not detected during visual inspections of the seed lot.(2) First and second field inspection tolerances, expres…

(1) The department will visually inspect each seed lot at least two times during the growing season. The department may make additional inspections if the department deems it necessary.(2) The department will reject all seed lots that do not comply with minimum field inspection s…

(1) Postharvest testing is required for the following lots:(a) All Generation 1 lots except lots that are less than 0.25 acre and planted back on the same seed potato farm;(b) Seed lots sold for recertification; and(c) Lots for which a postharvest test is required by WAC 16-324-3…

TOLERANCE TABLE: PERCENT DISEASEFactornuclearG1G2G3G4G5Leafroll0.000.250.500.751.002.00Mosaic (includes ELISA for PVY)0.000.250.501.001.502.00Total virus0.000.500.751.001.503.00[Statutory Authority: RCW 15.14.015 and chapter 34.05 RCW. WSR 13-12-014, § 16-324-420, filed 5/24/13, …

(1) Each seed lot must be stored with its identity maintained. All tubers from a unit planting method must be numbered and stored as an identifiable unit for the next year's planting.(2) Each storage or room containing more than one seed lot must have an impermeable barrier betwe…

(1) Grading of seed potatoes is the responsibility of the grower. The department monitors grading activities for compliance with the United States Standards for Seed Potatoes and established state standards for seed potatoes.(2) Upon request, the department provides shipping poin…

The production of high quality seed potatoes within the state requires conditions that are as free as possible from insect pests and plant diseases. The production of other potatoes intermixed with or in close proximity to a concentrated seed potato production area poses an incre…