La. Admin. Code tit. 7 § XV-138

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 11, November 20, 2024

Section XV-138 - Fumigation and Maintenance of Weevil-Free Status of Regulated Materials Originating from Designated Sweetpotato Weevil-Infested Areas or Properties or Premises

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.

La. Admin. Code tit. 7, § XV-138

Promulgated by the Department of Agriculture, Office of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, LR 16:600 (July 1990), amended by the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Office of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, LR 18:703 (July 1992), LR 27:1176 (August 2001).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 3:1655 and R.S. 3:1732.