§ 1030. Definitions

Whenever used or referred to in this chapter, unless a different meaning clearly appears from the context:

(1) “Beneficial organism” means any organism that, during its life cycle, is an effective pollinator of plants, a parasite or predator of pests, or otherwise beneficial.

(2) “Biological control agent” means any living organism applied to or introduced into the environment that is intended to function as a controlling agent against another organism.

(3) “Secretary” means the Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets, or his or her designee.

(4) “Compliance agreement” means a written agreement between the Agency and any person engaged in growing, handling, or moving regulated articles, plant pests, plants, parts of plants, or plant products regulated under this chapter, where the person agrees to comply with stipulated requirements.

(5) “Agency” means the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets.

(6) “Genetically modified organism” means any organism altered or produced through genetic modification from a donor, vector, recipient organism, or by other means using modern molecular techniques.

(7) “Host” means any plant pest, plant, plant product, or other organism upon which a pest or beneficial organism is dependent for completion of any portion of its life cycle.

(8) “Infested area” means an area that has been determined to have an established pest population.

(9) “Permit” means a document issued by the Secretary to provide for the importation of plant pests, biological control agents, or regulated articles into the State and their movement within the State to restricted destinations for limited handling, utilization, or processing.

(10) “Person” means any individual or combination of individuals, partnership, corporation, company, society, association, governmental organization, university, or other entity and each officer, agent, or employee.

(11) “Plant and plant products” means trees, shrubs, and vines; forage, fiber, and cereal plants; cuttings, grafts, scions, buds, and lumber; fruit, vegetables, roots, bulbs, seeds, and wood; and all other plants, parts of plants, and plant products.

(12) “Plant pest” means any living stage of insects, mites, nematodes, slugs, snails, protozoa, or any other invertebrate animals; bacteria, fungi, mycoplasma, or other parasitic plants, weeds, or reproductive parts thereof; viruses or any organisms similar to or allied with any of the foregoing; and any genetically modified organisms or biological control agents that may directly or indirectly injure or cause disease or damage to any beneficial organisms, plants, parts of plants, or plant products.

(13) “Quarantine” means a legal declaration by the Secretary to prevent the spread of highly injurious plant pests that specifies the plant pest, plants, parts of plants, plant products, regulated articles, conditions governing movement, the area or areas quarantined, and any exemptions.

(14) “Regulated article” means an article of any character carrying or capable of carrying a plant pest. (Added 1995, No. 68 (Adj. Sess.), § 2; amended 2003, No. 42, § 2, eff. May 27, 2003; 2017, No. 113 (Adj. Sess.), § 22.)