(a) The fact has been determined by the Secretary of Agriculture, and notice is hereby given:

(1) That injurious fungal diseases of rice, including downy mildew (Sclerospora macrospora), leaf smut (Entyloma oryzae), blight (Oospora oryzetorum), and glume blotch (Melanomma glumarum), as well as dangerous insect pests, new to and not heretofore widely prevalent or distributed within and throughout the United States, exist, as to one or more of such diseases and pests, in Europe, Asia, Africa, Central America, South America, and other foreign countries and localities, and may be introduced into this country through importations of rice straw and rice hulls; and

(2) That the unrestricted importation of rice straw and rice hulls may result in the entry into the United States of the injurious plant diseases heretofore enumerated, as well as insect pests.

(b) To prevent the introduction into the United States of the plant pests and diseases indicated above, the Secretary has determined that it is necessary to restrict the importation of rice straw and rice hulls from all foreign locations, except as otherwise provided in this subpart.

(c) The Administrator may authorize the importation of articles otherwise prohibited by this subpart under conditions specified in a controlled import permit issued in accordance with § 319.6.

(d) The importation of seed or paddy rice is restricted under Subpart H—Plants for Planting of this part.

(e) 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.

Rice straw and rice hulls may be imported into Guam without further permit, other than the authorization contained in this paragraph. The port of entry shall be Agana or such other port as may be satisfactory to the inspector. 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 an importer at the time of importation. The requirements of §§ 319.55-6 and 319.55-7 shall not apply. Inspections 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 by any plant pest and is not subject to disposal under this part, disposition may be made in accordance with § 330.106 of this chapter.

(a) Seed or paddy rice. Unhusked rice in the form commonly used for seed purposes; the regulations in this subpart do not apply to husked or polished rice imported for food purposes.

(b) Port of first arrival. The first port within the United States where the shipment is (1) offered for consumption entry or (2) offered for entry for immediate transportation in bond.

(c) Inspector. An Inspector of the Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs of the United States Department of Agriculture.

Application for a permit to import from any country rice straw or rice hulls may be made to the Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs in accordance with §§ 319.7 through 319.7-5.

(a) For importations of rice straw and rice hulls, permits will be issued for entry at New York and Boston and at such other ports as may later be approved by the Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs.

(b) Pending development of adequate treating facilities in Guam, rice straw and rice hulls 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 United States port of arrival where such treating facilities are available.

(c) Should a shipment requiring treatment arrive at a port where facilities for such treatment are not maintained, such shipment shall either be promptly shipped under safeguards and by routing prescribed by the inspector to an approved port where facilities for treatment are available, or it shall be refused entry.

Immediately upon the arrival of a shipment at the port of first arrival, the permittee or his agent shall submit a notice, in duplicate, to the Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs, through the United States Collector of Customs, or, in the case of Guam, through the Customs officer of the Government of Guam, on a form provided for that purpose, stating the number of the permit, the quantity in the shipment, the locality where grown, the date of arrival, and, if by rail, the name of the railroad company, the car numbers, and the terminal where the shipment is to be unloaded, or, if by vessel, the name of the vessel and the designation of the dock where the shipment is to be landed.

(a) [Reserved]

(b) Rice straw and rice hulls. (1) As a condition of entry, rice straw and rice hulls shall be subject to inspection and to treatment in accordance with part 305 of this chapter at the port of arrival, under the supervision of the inspector, by methods and at plants approved by the Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs and, as a further condition of entry, in order to permit effective treatment in accordance with part 305 of this chapter, the contents of packages or bales shall not be compressed to a density of more than 30 pounds per cubic foot. Rice straw and rice hulls will be admitted only at ports where adequate facilities are available for such treatment. The required treatment must be given within 20 days after arrival, but if any shipment of rice straw or rice hulls shall be found upon arrival to be dangerously infested or infected the inspector may direct immediate treatment under adequate safeguards; and, if the treatment and safeguards are not put into effect as directed, the shipment shall be removed from the country immediately or destroyed.

(2) Unless, within 20 days after the date of arrival of a shipment at the port at which the formal entry was filed, the importation has received the required treatment, due notice of which shall be given to the collector of customs by the inspector, demand will be made by the collector for redelivery of the shipment into customs custody under the terms of the entry bond, and, if such redelivery is not made, the shipment shall be removed from the country or destroyed.

(3) All charges for storage, cartage, and labor incident to inspection and disinfection, other than the services of the inspector, shall be paid by the importer.

(4) All shipments shall be so baled, bagged, or wrapped as to prevent scattering or wastage. If, in the judgment of the inspector, a shipment is not so bagged, baled, or wrapped, it shall be reconditioned at the expense of the permittee or entry may be refused.

Importations of rice straw and rice hulls may be made by mail or cargo, provided that a permit has been issued for the importation in accordance with §§ 319.7 through 319.7-5 and all conditions of the permit are met.