Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 71.djvu/69

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[71 Stat. 33]
PUBLIC LAW 000—MMMM. DD, 1957
[71 Stat. 33]

71 S T A T. ]

PUBLIC LAW 85-36-MAY 23, 1957

to prevent the dissemination of any plant pest new to or not theretofore known to be widely prevalent or distributed within and throughout the United States, seize, quarantine, treat, apply other remedial measures to, destroy, or otherwise dispose of, in such manner as he deems appropriate, any product or article of any character whatsoever, or means of conveyance, which is moving into or through the United States, or interstate, and which he has reason to believe is infested or infected by or contains any such plant pest, or which has moved into the United States, or interstate, and which he has reason to believe was infested or infected by or contained any such plant pest at the time of such movement; and any plant pest, product, article, or means of conveyance which is moving into or through the United States, or interstate, or has moved into the United States, or interstate, in violation of this Act or any regulation thereunder: Provided, That this paragraph shall not authorize such action with respect to any product, article, means of conveyance, or plant pest subject, at the time of the proposed action, to disposal under the Plant Quarantine Act. (b) Except as provided in paragraph (c), the Secretary may order the owner of any product, article, means of conveyance, or plant pest subject to disposal under paragraph (a), or his agent, to treat, apply other remedial measures to, destroy, or make other disposal of such product, article, means of conveyance, or plant pest, without cost to the Federal Government and in such manner as the Secretary deems appropriate. The Secretary may apply to the United States district court, or to the United States court of any Territory or possession, for the judicial district in which such person resides or transacts business or in which the product, article, means of conveyance, or plant pest is found, for enforcement of such order by injunction, mandatory or otherwise. Process in any such case may be served in any judicial district wherein the defendant resides or transacts business or may be found, and subpena for witnesses who are required to attend a court in any judicial district in such a case may run into any other judicial district. (c) No product, article, means of conveyance, or plant pest shall be destroyed, exported, or returned to shipping point of origin, or ordered to be destroyed, exported, or so returned under this section, unless in the opinion of the Secretary there is no less drastic action which would be adequate to prevent the dissemination of plant pests new to or not theretofore known to be widely prevalent or distributed within and throughout the United States. (d) The owner of any product, article, means of conveyance, or plant pest destroyed, or otherwise disposed of by the Secretary under this section, may bring an action against the United States in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, within one year after such destruction or disposal, and recover just compensation for such destruction or disposal of such product, article, means of conveyance, or plant pest (not including compensation for loss due to delays incident to determining eligibility for movement into or through the United States or for interstate movement) if the owner establishes that neither this section nor the Plant Quarantine Act authorized such destruction or disposal. Any judgment rendered in favor of such owner shall be paid out of the money in the Treasury appropriated for plant disease and pest control activities of the Department of Agriculture. SEC. 106. The Secretary may promulgate such regulations requiring inspection of products and articles of any character whatsoever and means of conveyance, specified in the regulations, as a condition of their movement into or through the United States, or interstate, and

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Reguiatiions and