P.R. Laws tit. 5, § 520a
(a) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, the [importation] or introduction into Puerto Rico of any commercial fertilizer whatsoever which contains or may contain sand, earth, soil or vegetable matter as a filler, or whose filler contains or may contain any type of plant disease, as that term is defined in §§ 613—613n of this title, known as the “Plant Quarantine Act of Puerto Rico”, is forbidden.
(b) The Secretary may allow the [importation] or introduction into Puerto Rico of any commercial fertilizer containing sand, earth, soil or vegetable matter as filler, provided that the lot of said commercial fertilizer is accompanied by an official inspection certificate issued by the Department of Agriculture of the United States, or the Department of Agriculture of any State of the United States, or any country from whence said commercial fertilizer comes, evincing that the sand, earth, soil or vegetable matter used as filler in said commercial fertilizer were duly sterilized immediately prior to being added to the commercial fertilizer to be imported or introduced into Puerto Rico.
(c) Every lot of commercial fertilizer arriving in Puerto Rico from abroad shall be subject to inspection by the Secretary or his/her authorized representative, pursuant to the provisions of § 525 of this title, in order to verify that said commercial fertilizer complies with the applicable requirements of §§ 519—535 of this title.
If upon inspection of commercial fertilizer imported or introduced into Puerto Rico, it is determined that the latter contains sand, earth, soil or vegetable matter as a filler, and that it does not include the certificate of inspection required under subsection (b) of this section, or that said filler contains any plant disease, the lot of commercial fertilizer inspected shall, at the option of the importer or consignee, be returned to the sender or destroyed without payment of any compensation whatsoever.
History —May 8, 1973, No. 19, p. 57, added as § 2-A on Aug. 24, 1997, No. 103, § 3, eff. 30 days after Aug. 24, 1997.