The importation into the United States is prohibited of—

(1) any agricultural or vegetable seeds if any such seed contains noxious-weed seeds or the labeling of which is false or misleading in any respect;

(2) screenings of any seeds subject to this subchapter (except that this shall not apply to screenings of wheat, oats, rye, barley, buckwheat, field corn, sorghum, broomcorn, flax, millet, proso, soybeans, cowpeas, field peas, or field beans, which are not imported for seeding purposes and are declared for cleaning, processing, or manufacturing purposes, and not for seeding purposes);

(3) any seed containing 10 per centum or more of any agricultural or vegetable seeds, unless the invoice pertaining to such seed and any other labeling of such seed bear a lot identification and the name of each kind and variety of vegetable seed present in any amount and each kind or kind and variety of agricultural seed present in excess of 5 per centum of the whole, and unless in the case of hybrid seed present in excess of 5 per centum of the whole it is designated as hybrid.1

(4) any agricultural seeds or any mixture thereof, or any vegetable seeds or any mixture thereof, for seeding purposes, that have been treated, unless each container thereof bears a label giving the following information and statements in accordance with rules and regulations prescribed under section 1592 of this title:

(A) A word or statement indicating that the seeds have been treated;

(B) The commonly accepted coined, chemical (generic), or abbreviated chemical name of any substance used in such treatment;

(C) If the substance used in such treatment in the amount remaining with the seeds is harmful to humans or other vertebrate animals, an appropriate caution statement approved by the Secretary of Agriculture as adequate for the protection of the public, such as “Do not use for food or feed or oil purposes”; Provided, That the caution statement for mercurials and similarly toxic substances, as defined in said rules and regulations, shall be a representation of a skull and crossbones and a statement such as “This seed has been treated with POISON”, in red letters on a background of distinctly contrasting color; and

(D) A description, approved by the Secretary of Agriculture as adequate for the protection of the public, of any process used in such treatment.

Terms Used In 7 USC 1581

  • Agricultural seeds: shall mean grass, forage, and field crop seeds which the Secretary of Agriculture finds are used for seeding purposes in the United States and which he lists in the rules and regulations prescribed under section 1592 of this title. See 7 USC 1561
  • kind: means one or more related species or subspecies which singly or collectively is known by one common name, for example, soybean, flax, carrot, radish, cabbage, cauliflower, and so forth. See 7 USC 1561
  • label: means the display or displays of written, printed, or graphic matter upon or attached to the container of seed. See 7 USC 1561
  • labeling: includes all labels, and other written, printed, and graphic representations, in any form whatsoever, accompanying and pertaining to any seed whether in bulk or in containers, and includes invoices. See 7 USC 1561
  • noxious-weed seeds: means the seeds or bulblets of plants recognized as noxious&mdash. See 7 USC 1561
  • screenings: shall include chaff, sterile florets, immature seed, weed seed, inert matter, and any other materials removed in any way from any seeds in any kind of cleaning or processing and which contain less than 25 per centum of live agricultural or vegetable seeds. See 7 USC 1561
  • treated: means given an application of a substance or subjected to a process designed to reduce, control, or repel disease organisms, insects or other pests which attack seeds or seedlings growing therefrom. See 7 USC 1561
  • United States: means the several States, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. See 7 USC 1561
  • variety: means a subdivision of a kind which is characterized by growth, plant, fruit, seed, or other characters by which it can be differentiated from other sorts of the same kind, for example, Marquis wheat, Flat Dutch cabbage, Manchu soybeans, Oxheart carrot, and so forth. See 7 USC 1561
  • Vegetable seeds: shall include the seeds of those crops that are or may be grown in gardens or on truck farms and are or may be generally known and sold under the name of vegetable seeds. See 7 USC 1561
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