Title 9

SECTION 590.945

590.945 Egg products offered for entry; reporting of findings to customs; handling of articles refused entry; appeals, how made; denaturing procedures.

§ 590.945 Egg products offered for entry; reporting of findings to customs; handling of articles refused entry; appeals, how made; denaturing procedures.

(a)(1) Inspection program personnel must report their findings as to any product that has been inspected in accordance with this subpart to the Director of Customs at the original port of entry where the same is offered for clearance through Customs inspection.

(2) When product is refused entry into the United States, the official mark to be applied to the product refused entry must be in the following form:

(3) When product has been identified as “U.S. Refused Entry,” inspection program personnel must request the Director of Customs to refuse admission of such product and to direct that it be exported by the owner or importer within the time specified in this section, unless the owner or importer, within the specified time, causes it to be destroyed by disposing of it under the supervision of program inspectors so that the product can no longer be used as human food, or by converting it to animal food uses, if permitted by the Food and Drug Administration. The owner or importer of the refused entry product must not transfer legal title to such product, except to a foreign importer for direct and immediate exportation, or to an end user, e.g., an animal food manufacturer or a renderer, for destruction for human food purposes. “Refused entry” product must be delivered to and used by the manufacturer or renderer within the 45-day time limit provided in paragraph (a)(4) of this section. Even if such title is illegally transferred, the subsequent purchaser will still be required to export the product or have it destroyed under paragraph (a)(4) of this section.

(4) The owner or importer will have 45 days after notice is given by FSIS to the Director of Customs at the original port of entry to take the action required in paragraph (a)(3) of this section for “refused entry” product. An extension beyond the 45-day period may be granted by the Administrator when extreme circumstances warrant it, e.g., a dock workers' strike or an unforeseeable vessel delay.

(5) If the owner or importer fails to take the required action within the time specified under paragraph (a)(4) of this section, the Department will take such actions as may be necessary to effectuate its order to have the product destroyed for human food purposes. The Department will seek court costs and fees, storage, and proper expenses in the appropriate forum.

(6) No egg product that has been refused entry and exported to another country pursuant to paragraph (a)(3) of this section may be returned to the United States under any circumstances. Any such product so returned to the United States will be subject to administrative detention in accordance with section 1048 of the Act and seizure and condemnation in accordance with section 1049 of the Act.

(7) Egg products that have been refused entry solely because of misbranding may be brought into compliance with the requirements of this chapter under the supervision of an authorized representative of the Administrator.

(b) Upon the request of the Director of Customs at the port where an egg product is offered for clearance through the customs, the importer of the product must, at the importer's own expense, immediately return to the Director any product that has been delivered to the importer under this subpart and subsequently designated “U.S. Refused Entry” or found in any request not to comply with the requirements in this part.

(c) Except as provided in § 590.930(a) or (b), no person will remove or cause to be removed from any place designated as the place of inspection of egg products that the regulations in this part require to be identified in any way, unless the same has been clearly and legibly identified in compliance with this part.

(d) Any person receiving inspection services may, if dissatisfied with any decision of a program inspector relating to any inspection, file an appeal from such decision. Any such appeal from a decision of a program inspector must be made to the inspector's immediate supervisor having jurisdiction over the subject matter of the appeal, and such supervisor must determine whether the inspector's decision was correct. Review of such an appeal determination, when requested, must be made by the immediate supervisor of the Department employee making the appeal determination. The egg products involved in any appeal must be identified by U.S. retained tags and segregated in a manner approved by the inspector pending completion of an appeal inspection.

(e) All loss or inedible eggs, or inedible egg products must be disposed of in accordance with § 590.504(c)(1).