The Secretary of Agriculture may cause careful inspection of any imported animals described in this subchapter, to ascertain whether such animals are infected with contagious diseases or have been exposed to infection so as to be dangerous to other animals, which shall then either be placed in quarantine or dealt with according to the regulations of the Secretary of Agriculture. All food, litter, manure, clothing, utensils, and other appliances that have been so related to such animals on board ship as to be judged liable to convey infection shall be dealt with according to the regulations of the Secretary of Agriculture. The Secretary of Agriculture may cause inspection to be made of all animals described in this subchapter intended for exportation, and provide for the disinfection of all vessels engaged in the transportation thereof, and of all barges or other vessels used in the conveyance of such animals intended for export to the ocean steamer or other vessels, and of all attendants and their clothing, and of all headropes and other appliances used in such exportation, by such orders and regulations as he may prescribe; and if, upon such inspection, any such animals shall be adjudged, under the regulations of the Secretary of Agriculture, to be infected or to have been exposed to infection so as to be dangerous to other animals, the Secretary may prohibit or restrict their placement upon any vessel for exportation; the expense of all the inspection and disinfection provided for in this section to be borne by the owners of the vessels on which such animals are exported.
(Aug. 30, 1890, ch. 839, §10, 26 Stat. 417; Pub. L. 103–182, title III, §361(c), Dec. 8, 1993, 107 Stat. 2122; Pub. L. 103–465, title IV, §431(i), Dec. 8, 1994, 108 Stat. 4969.)
This subchapter, referred to in text, was in the original “this Act”, meaning act Aug. 30, 1890, ch. 839, 26 Stat. 415, as amended, which is classified to sections 18 and 101 to 105 of this title and section 181 of Title 19, Customs Duties. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Tables.
1994—Pub. L. 103–465 struck out subsec. (a) heading “In general”, in first sentence, substituted “The” for “Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, the” and “may cause careful inspection of any” for “shall cause careful inspection to be made by a suitable officer of all”, in third sentence, substituted “the Secretary may prohibit or restrict their placement” for “they shall not be allowed to be placed”, and struck out heading and text of subsec. (b). Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “The Secretary of Agriculture, in accordance with such regulations as the Secretary may issue, may waive any provision of subsection (a) of this section in the case of shipments between the United States and Canada or Mexico.”
1993—Pub. L. 103–182 inserted section catchline, designated existing provisions as subsec. (a), inserted heading and exception to subsec. (b), and added subsec. (b).
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.
This section is referred to in sections 104, 136a of this title; title 16 section 1540.