(a) Inspection and release. Prohibited and restricted products and articles subject to this part shall be subject to inspection at the port of first arrival in accordance with §330.105(a) of this chapter and shall not be released by Customs officers for unloading, landing, or other onward movement or entry until released by an inspector or a Customs officer on behalf of an inspector in accordance with the procedure prescribed in §330.105(a) of this chapter. If diversion or change of Customs entry is not permitted for any movements authorized under this part, the inspector at the original port of Customs entry shall appropriately endorse Customs documents to show that fact. However, the inspector at the U.S. port of export may approve diversion or change of Customs entry to permit movement to a different foreign country, or entry into the United States, subject to all other applicable requirements under this part or parts 319, 330, or 360 of this chapter. If diversion or change of Customs entry is desired at a Customs port in the United States where there is no inspector, the owner may apply to the Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs2 for information as to applicable conditions. If diversion or change of Customs entry is desired at port, confirmation will be given by the Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs to the appropriate Customs officers and Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs inspectors.

(b) Safeguards.

(1) The unloading, landing, retention on board as stores and furnishings or cargo, transshipment and exportation, transportation and exportation, onward movment to the port of entry as residue cargo or under a Customs entry for immediate transportation, and other movement or possession within the United States of prohibited or restricted products and articles under this part shall be subject to such safeguards as may be prescribed in the permits and this part and any others which, in the opinion of the inspector, are necessary and are specified by him to prevent plant pest, noxious weed, or biological control organism dissemination . In the case of prohibited or restricted products or articles subject to this part which are unloaded or landed for transshipment and exportation or transportation and exportation, or for onward movement to the port of entry as residue cargo or under a Customs entry for immediate transportation, this shall include necessary safeguards with respect to any movement within the port area between the point of arrival and the point of temporary storage, other handling, or point of departure, including a foreign trade zone. Prohibited and restricted products and articles subject to this part which are unloaded or landed for transshipment and exportation or transportation and exportation, or for onward movement as residue cargo or under a Customs entry for immediate transportation, shall be transshipped, or transported and exported from the United States, or moved onward immediately. This shall mean the shortest practicable interval of time commensurate with the risk of plant pest, noxious weed, or biological control organism disseminatio required to transfer the products or articles from one carrier to another and to move them onward or from the United States. If, in the opinion of the inspector, considerations of risk of plant pest or noxious weed dissemination require, such movement shall be made without regard to the noncompetitive or competitive relations of the carriers concerned, and the inspector shall promptly report to the Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs the circumstances when the emergency is so acute that subsequent movement is required on a carrier of a company other than the one bringing the products or articles to the United States or on which onward movement was contemplated by the shipper or forwarding carrier. Prohibited or restricted plants, plant products, plant pests, biological control organisms, and soil which were intended for entry into the United States under parts 319, 330, or 360 of this chapter, or for movement into or through the United States under this part, and which were refused such entry or movement before unloading or landing, or which were refused such entry or movement after unloading or landing and are immediately reloaded on the same carrier, may be retained on board pending removal from the United States or other disposal, but shall be subject to the safeguards specified under this section. Prohibited or restricted products and articles which were refused entry or movement under said parts after unloading or landing and which are not immediately reloaded in accordance with this section shall be subject to such safeguard action as the inspector deems necessary to carry out the purposes of this part.

(2) Safeguards prescribed by an inspector under this section shall be prescribed to the owner by the inspector in writing except that the inspector may prescribe the safeguards orally when, in his opinion, the circumstances and related Customs procedures do not require written notice to the owner of the safeguards to be followed by the owner. In prescribing safeguards, the relevant requirements of parts 319, 330, or 360 of this chapter and this part shall be considered. The safeguards prescribed shall be the minimum required to preventplant pest, noxious weed, or biological control organism dissemination. Destruction or exportation shall be required only when no less drastic measures are deemed by the inspector to be adequate to prevent plant pest, noxious weed, or biological control organism dissemination . The inspector may follow administrative instructions promulgated for certain situations, or he may follow a procedure selected by him from administratively approved methods known to be effective in similar situations. In the case of aircraft that are contaminated with insect pests, only an insecticidal formulation, approved for use in aircraft, may be so applied as an emergency measure. If the application is not effective against the insect pests or if other pests must be safeguarded against, the inspector shall report the circumstances promptly to the Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs and receive instructions as to safeguards that will not have a deleterious effect on the structure of the aircraft or its operating equipment. In prescribing safeguards consideration will be given to such factors as:

(i) The nature and habits of the plant pests or biological control organisms known to be, or likely to be, present with the plants, plant products, soil, or other products or articles.

(ii) Nature of the plants, plant products, plant pests, or biological control organisms, soil, or other products or articles.

(iii) Nature of containers or other packaging and adequacy thereof to preventplant pest, noxious weed, or biological control organism dissemination.

(iv) Climatic conditions as they may have a bearing on plant pest or biological control organism dispersal, and refrigeration if provided.

(v) Routing pending exportation.

(vi) Presence of soil.

(vii) Construction or physical condition and type of carrier.

(viii) Facilities for treatment in accordance with part 305 of this chapter, or for incineration or other destruction.

(ix) Availability of transportation facilities for immediate exportation.

(x) Any other related factor which should be considered, such as intent to export to an adjacent or nearby country.

(c) Disposal.

(1) If prohibited or restricted products or articles subject to this part are not safeguarded in accordance with measures prescribed under this part, or cannot be adequately safeguarded to prevent plant pest, noxious weed, or biological control organism dissemination, they shall be seized, destroyed, or otherwise disposed of according to law. Whenever disposal action is to be taken by the inspector he shall notify the local Customs officer in advance.

(2) When a shipment of any products or articles subject to this part has been handled in accordance with all conditions and safeguards prescribed in this part and in the permit and by the inspector, the inspector shall inform the local Customs officer concerned of the release of such products or articles, in appropriate manner.

[25 FR 1929, Mar. 5, 1960, as amended at 36 FR 24917, Dec. 24, 1971; 37 FR 10554, May 25, 1972; 62 FR 65009, Dec. 10, 1997; 66 FR 21059, Apr. 27, 2001; 75 FR 4253, Jan. 26, 2010; 75 FR 68952, Nov. 10, 2010; 84 FR 29966, June 25, 2019]