Plant Quarantine Act Law and Legal Definition
The Plant Quarantine Act is a U.S. federal law that regulated the importation and movement of nursery stock and other plants and plant products within the U.S. in order to control the dissemination of injurious plant pests and diseases. Pursuant to the Act, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service was given the authority to regulate the importation and interstate movement of nursery stock and other plants that may carry pests and diseases that are harmful to agriculture. This Act has been superseded by the consolidated APHIS statute, the Plant Protection Act of 2000.
The Plant Quarantine Act prohibited any person from importing or bringing nursery stock into the U.S. or accepting delivery of nursery stock moving from a foreign country into or through the U.S., unless the movement complies with regulations enacted by the Secretary of Agriculture to prevent dissemination of plant pests, plant diseases or insect pests.
