§7713 Notification and Holding Requirements Upon Arrival

Summary

The Treasury Secretary must quickly tell the Agriculture Secretary when plants or similar items arrive at a port of entry. That includes plant products, biological control organisms, plant pests, and noxious weeds. The Treasury must keep those items at the port until the Agriculture Secretary inspects and approves them for entry or transit, or until the Agriculture Secretary releases them. This rule does not apply to items coming from countries or parts of countries the Agriculture Secretary has officially exempted by regulation. If a permit is required under sections 7711 or 7712, the person in charge must notify the Agriculture Secretary (or a state official if the Secretary directs) as soon as possible after arrival and before moving the item from the port. The notice must give the consignee’s name and address, the kind and amount of the item, and where it was grown or produced. No one may move the item from the port or between states unless it is inspected and allowed or released by the Agriculture Secretary.