No slaughtered poultry, or parts or products thereof, of any kind shall be imported into the United States unless they are healthful, wholesome, fit for human food, not adulterated, and contain no dye, chemical, preservative, or ingredient which renders them unhealthful, unwholesome, adulterated, or unfit for human food and unless they also comply with the rules and regulations made by the Secretary of Agriculture to assure that imported poultry or poultry products comply with the standards provided for in this chapter. All imported, slaughtered poultry, or parts or products thereof, shall after entry into the United States in compliance with such rules and regulations be deemed and treated as domestic slaughtered poultry, or parts or products thereof, within the meaning and subject to the provisions of this chapter and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act [21 U.S.C. 301 et seq.], and Acts amendatory of, supplemental to, or in substitution for such chapter and Act.
The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to make rules and regulations to carry out the purposes of this section and in such rules and regulations the Secretary of Agriculture may prescribe the terms and conditions for the destruction of all slaughtered poultry, or parts or products thereof, offered for entry and refused admission into the United States unless such slaughtered poultry, or parts or products thereof, be exported by the consignee within the time fixed therefor in such rules and regulations.
All charges for storage, cartage, and labor with respect to any product which is refused admission pursuant to this section shall be paid by the owner or consignee, and in default of such payment shall constitute a lien against any other products imported thereafter by or for such owner or consignee.
21 U.S.C. § 466
EDITORIAL NOTES
REFERENCES IN TEXTThe Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, referred to in subsec. (a), is act June 25, 1938, ch. 675, 52 Stat. 1040, which is classified generally to chapter 9 (§301 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 301 of this title and Tables.
AMENDMENTS1994-Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 103-465, §431(k)(1), amended par. (1) generally. Prior to amendment, par. (1) read as follows: "Notwithstanding any other provision of law, except as provided in paragraph (2), all poultry, or parts or products thereof, capable of use as human food offered for importation into the United States shall-"(A) be subject to the same inspection, sanitary, quality, species verification, and residue standards applied to products produced in the United States; and"(B) have been processed in facilities and under conditions that are the same as those under which similar products are processed in the United States." Subsec. (d)(2)(A). Pub. L. 103-465, §431(k)(2)(A), amended subpar. (A) generally. Prior to amendment, subpar. (A) read as follows: "Notwithstanding any other provision of law, all poultry, or parts or products of poultry, capable of use as human food offered for importation into the United States from Canada and Mexico shall- "(i) comply with paragraph (1); or"(ii)(I) be subject to inspection, sanitary, quality, species verification, and residue standards that are equivalent to United States standards; and "(II) have been processed in facilities and under conditions that meet standards that are equivalent to United States standards." Subsec. (d)(2)(B), (C). Pub. L. 103-465, §431(k)(2)(B), (C), redesignated subpar. (C) as (B) and struck out former subpar. (B) which read as follows: "The Secretary may treat as equivalent to a United States standard a standard of Canada or Mexico described in subparagraph (A)(ii) if the exporting country provides the Secretary with scientific evidence or other information, in accordance with risk assessment methodologies agreed to by the Secretary and the exporting country, to demonstrate that the standard of the exporting country achieves the level of protection that the Secretary considers appropriate." 1993-Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 103-182 in par. (1), inserted "except as provided in paragraph (2)," before "all poultry" in introductory provisions, added par. (2), and redesignated former pars. (2) and (3) as (3) and (4), respectively. 1985-Par. (d). Pub. L. 99-198 added par. (d).
STATUTORY NOTES AND RELATED SUBSIDIARIES
EFFECTIVE DATE OF 1994 AMENDMENT Amendment by Pub. L. 103-465 effective, except as otherwise provided, on the date of entry into force of the World Trade Organization Agreement with respect to the United States (Jan. 1, 1995), see section 451 of Pub. L. 103-465 set out as an Effective Date note under section 3601 of Title 19, Customs Duties.
EFFECTIVE DATE OF 1985 AMENDMENTPub. L. 99-198, title XVII, §1701(b), Dec. 23, 1985, 99 Stat. 1633, provided that: "The amendment made by this section [amending this section] shall become effective 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act [Dec. 23, 1985]."
- Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
- The term "Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act" means the Act so entitled, approved June 25, 1938 (52 Stat. 1040) [21 U.S.C. 301 et seq.], and Acts amendatory thereof or supplementary thereto.
- Secretary
- The term "Secretary" means the Secretary of Agriculture or his delegate.
- United States
- The term "United States" means the States, the District of Columbia, and the territories of the United States.
- poultry
- The term "poultry" means any domesticated bird, whether live or dead.
- processed
- The term "processed" means slaughtered, canned, salted, stuffed, rendered, boned, cut up, or otherwise manufactured or processed.