§ 643. Enforcement

(a) To enforce the provisions of this subchapter, the Secretary, upon presenting appropriate credentials, may:

(1) Enter upon any premises where seeds are processed, packed, or held for distribution, during regular business hours, in order to have access to seeds and associated records subject to this subchapter, and inspect any truck or other conveyor by land, water, or air, at any time when the conveyor is accessible, for the same purpose.

(2) Issue and enforce a written or printed “stop sale” order to the owner or custodian of any lot of seed subject to the provisions of this subchapter that the Secretary finds is in violation of any of the provisions of this subchapter. The order shall prohibit further sale, processing, and movement of the seed, except on approval of the Secretary, until the Secretary has issued a release from the “stop sale” order of the seed. The owner or custodian of seed for which a “stop sale” has been issued shall have the right to request a hearing in writing before the Secretary within 15 days of the issuance of the order.

(b) This section shall not be construed to limit the authority of the Secretary to obtain a search warrant. (Added 1989, No. 85, § 2; amended 2003, No. 42, § 2, eff. May 27, 2003.)