<<Prev Rule

Texas Administrative Code

Next Rule>>
TITLE 4AGRICULTURE
PART 1TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
CHAPTER 21CITRUS
SUBCHAPTER DCITRUS NURSERY STOCK CERTIFICATION PROGRAM
RULE §21.63Sanitation Requirements

(a) All articles, equipment, plant material, supplies and personnel that enter or remain in a propagation facility shall be subject to Department approved sanitation requirements, including but not limited to:

  (1) Budding knives, clippers and other cutting implements shall be sterilized between different groups of propagations using a commercially available disinfectant or household bleach solution with a final strength of 0.5 percent. Sterilization solution shall be made fresh each day.

  (2) All equipment should be kept on site.

  (3) If gloves are worn in a certified citrus nursery, they must be disposable gloves or decontaminated daily and kept on-site.

  (4) Any person (including, but not limited to, their exposed skin and clothing, headgear, and tops and bottoms of shoes), tools or equipment entering a certified citrus greenhouse must be sanitized immediately prior to or during entry, as provided in §21.61 of this chapter (relating to Facility Structural Requirements).

  (5) All growing or potting media or containers must be stored to prevent contamination by soil or water.

  (6) Non-certified nursery stock shall not be grown in or introduced into the same greenhouse or structure with certified citrus nursery stock.

  (7) It shall be the responsibility of the nursery to:

    (A) Prevent encroachment of Rutaceous plants of subfamilies Aurantioideae, Rutoideae and Toddalioideae, and the use of non-certified material, which could endanger the nursery site of becoming infested with injurious pests or diseases of citrus; and

    (B) Follow established sanitation procedures to prevent pest and disease infestation of the nursery.

  (8) Nursery areas and perimeters shall be maintained weed-free.

(b) Violation(s) of sanitation requirements may result in the issuance of a stop-sale order, suspension or revocation of a certificate of registration, and/or administrative penalties.


Source Note: The provisions of this §21.63 adopted to be effective March 22, 2018, 43 TexReg 1629

Link to Texas Secretary of State Home Page | link to Texas Register home page | link to Texas Administrative Code home page | link to Open Meetings home page