Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024
A. Fumigation
Measures. Persons operating storage houses and/or packing sheds who desire to
move regulated materials from areas or properties or premises designated by the
department as sweetpotato weevil infested into areas or properties or premises
designated as sweetpotato weevil-free, or to any state which may prohibit entry
of such regulated material, shall:
1. enlist
the services of a certified fumigator to perform the fumigation;
2. possess a valid fumigation certificate
issued by a certified fumigator, indicating that the fumigation was done in
accordance with all fumigant label requirements and in a manner approved by the
department. Each fumigation certificate shall state the conditions and dates of
fumigation;
3. fumigate with
fumigants labeled for use on the regulated material and formulated and used in
a manner and at a concentration approved by the department.
B. Maintenance of Weevil-Free
Status. Regulated materials shall be maintained in such a manner that the
integrity of their weevil-free status following fumigation is retained.
1.
Fumigation
Chamber-fumigated regulated materials may be stored in a fumigation
chamber approved by the department, designed specifically for fumigating and
storing regulated materials. The chamber shall be airtight with a self
contained, screened exhaust system in place; shall possess doors that seal;
shall contain a minimum of 1,000 cubic feet of space, and larger chambers must
be designed to contain an even multiple of 1,000 cubic feet; shall be cleaned
of all sweet potatoes, parts, and any other regulated materials between periods
of fumigation and storage.
2.
Tractor trailer rigs designed and constructed for use in fumigations may be
used in place of a fumigation chamber provided the truck body meets the
fumigation chamber requirements outlined above, with the exception of the cubic
feet requirement. A variation in truck body cubic feet shall be allowed
provided the variation allows adequate volume to fumigate according to the
fumigant label. All entrances or openings on the truck body shall be sealed in
a manner approved by the department, prior to shipment, by the use of not more
than two seals.
3. If an approved
fumigation chamber or tractor-trailer rig is not used then fumigation and
storage of regulated materials shall be conducted as follows.
a. Regulated materials shall be placed in a
storage area separate from and in no way connected to any other storage or
packing areas containing non-fumigated regulated materials. Storage area must
be cleaned of all sweet potatoes, parts, and any other regulated materials
between periods of storage.
b. The
storage area shall have been treated with an appropriately labeled chemical and
in a manner approved by the department prior to initial storage of sweet
potatoes harvested and fumigated that season and the storage area shall not be
used to store any non-fumigated regulated materials.
c. Fumigation shall be accomplished by
tenting the regulated material with a sealed tarpaulin or other suitable
sealable material of adequate thickness and construction for use in fumigation
with commercial fumigants.
d.
Regulated materials shall be completely enclosed with nylon, fiberglass,
plastic or other synthetic screen material prior to, during and following
fumigation. The screen mesh must be of a size sufficient to prevent entry of
sweetpotato weevil and shall be free from tears, rips and holes.
4. Packing House or Shed-sweet
potatoes fumigated, screened and stored according to these regulations may be
washed and packed in the same packing house or shed as non-fumigated sweet
potatoes, provided:
a. the packing house or
shed and all packing equipment is cleaned of all sweet potatoes, parts, and any
other regulated materials prior to washing and packing of fumigated sweet
potatoes;
b. the packing house or
shed is treated with an appropriately labeled chemical and in a manner approved
by the department prior to each packing period involving fumigated sweet
potatoes.
5. All packing
boxes and other packing and shipping materials shall be held in a storage area
separate from and in no way connected to any other non-fumigated materials, or
be fumigated and stored according to these regulations.
6. Fumigated sweet potatoes washed and packed
under approved conditions must be shipped within seven days of packing. Washed
and packed sweet potatoes shall be completely enclosed with nylon, fiberglass,
plastic or other synthetic screen material immediately following packing and
must remain enclosed until shipment. The screen mesh must be of a size
sufficient to prevent entry of sweetpotato weevil and shall be free from tears,
rips and holes. Fumigated, screened sweet potatoes awaiting shipment shall be
labeled with the dates of fumigation.
7. Trucks or other vehicles used to ship
fumigated sweet potatoes from sweetpotato weevil infested areas or properties
or premises shall be cleaned of all sweet potatoes, parts, and any other
regulated materials prior to hauling fumigated sweet potatoes. Vehicle
compartments previously containing shipments of non-fumigated regulated
materials that were moved from or within designated sweetpotato weevil infested
areas or properties or premises must be treated with an appropriately labeled
chemical and in a manner approved by the department prior to loading fumigated
sweet potatoes for shipment.
8. No
non-fumigated sweet potatoes shall be stored, loaded or shipped with fumigated
sweet potatoes.
C.
Issuance of Certificate Permit Tags. Manila certificate permit tags will be
issued by the department to persons meeting all sweetpotato weevil quarantine
regulation and compliance agreement requirements and who desire to ship
regulated materials that have been properly fumigated from areas or properties
or premises designated by the department as sweetpotato weevil infested into
areas or properties or premises designated as sweetpotato weevil-free, or to
any state which may prohibit entry of such regulated material. Permit tags
shall be attached to or within each container in a load or shipment of
fumigated sweet potatoes and shall not be reused.
AUTHORITY NOTE:
Promulgated in accordance with
R.S.
3:1655 and
R.S.
3:1732.
