3-458. Interstate shipments; requirements; out-of-state inspection certificates; irregular containers

A. It is unlawful for a person, firm, company, organization or corporation to import from another state for sale, to transport for delivery or to deliver for sale or to sell within this state a load or lot of citrus fruit unless it conforms to the grades and standards of maturity, condition and pack established pursuant to this article and rules adopted pursuant to this article.

B. The associate director shall examine each load or lot of citrus fruit entering the state to ascertain whether the fruit conforms to the established standards.

C. Citrus fruit grown in states that enforce grading standards equivalent to those established in this state may be permitted to enter this state when accompanied by an inspection certificate issued by the state or county enforcement authority in which the citrus fruit was grown disclosing that the load or lot conforms to the legally established standards in that state. The certificates shall be surrendered to the associate director.

D. Citrus fruit that enters the state in carload lots shall be accompanied by an inspection certificate, which shall be surrendered to the associate director by the receiver thereof. All shipments coming into the state by truck or other conveyance shall be inspected at the point of regular inspection by the associate director, and the certificates shall there be taken up by the associate director, and when coming in by railroad shall be inspected and the certificate taken up by the inspector at the point of destination.

E. When a motor vehicle is detained and its contents are found not to conform to the standards established pursuant to this article, the associate director or the associate director's duly authorized inspectors shall refuse entry of the citrus fruit into this state, but any load or lot of citrus fruit while in transit and consigned to a destination not within this state is exempt from these requirements when complying with the state quarantine requirements.

F. Citrus fruit may be offered for sale, sold or transported in, into or through this state in irregular containers, other than standard packages, when the irregular containers are so marked as to clearly indicate that they are not standard packages prescribed pursuant to this article.