§ 106-65.46. Commissioner of Agriculture to enforce Article; further authority of Board. - North Carolina Statutes

§ 106‑65.46. Commissioner of Agriculture to enforce Article; further authority of Board.

It shall be the duty of the Commissioner to exercise the powers andduties imposed upon him by this Article and such regulations as shall beadopted under these provisions for the purpose of protecting the environmentfrom adverse effects of biological organisms released into the environment ofNorth Carolina and to protect beneficial biological organisms in the State. TheBoard is hereby authorized to cause importation, collection, release,destruction and propagation of beneficial organisms when such action is deemedto be in the best interest of North Carolina and its environment. The Board isauthorized to promote and/or regulate businesses, persons or agencies engagedin the importation, collection, rearing, sales, release, or use of biologicalorganisms. The Board is authorized to establish standards of positiveidentification, purity of culture or colony, freedom from disease andhyperparasites of biological organisms and to establish standards of competenceand responsibility for the private practitioner engaged in the propagation,use, distribution, release or sale of biological organisms.

The Commissioner is hereby authorized to cause or cooperate inmanagement or mitigation programs to be conducted against such plant,environmental, or nuisance pests as can be controlled in an economically,ecologically, and biologically sound manner. The Board is authorized to causeuse of pesticides, parasites, predators, pheromones, genetic material, andother control techniques which are consistent with the pesticide, environmentaland other laws applicable in the State of North Carolina.

The Commissioner shall have authority to designate such employees ofthe North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and/or toenter into cooperative agreements with other governmental agencies as may beneeded to carry out the duties and exercise the powers provided by thisArticle. Persons collaborating with the Division of Entomology may also bedesignated by the Commissioner as agents for the purpose of this Article. (1973, c. 713, s. 5; 1997‑261, s. 109.)