The introduction of dangerous diseases of hops into the state of Washington would entail great losses to the horticultural interests of the state, and the most rigid examinations cannot determine the presence of disease on dormant hop plants or parts of plants; therefore this quarantine is established by the director of agriculture, pursuant to the authority provided in chapter 17.24 RCW, setting forth the rules for the importation of hop plants into the state of Washington.

(1) "Dangerous diseases" means:

(a) "Arabis mosaic viruses" means a grouping of viruses that are polyhedral, have a bipartite genome and induce diseases such as bare-bine, spidery hop, split leaf blotch and hop chlorotic disease. In combination with satellite RNA, arabis mosaic virus induces hop nettlehead disease.

(b) "Hop stunt viroid" means a group of viroids consisting of hop stunt viroid and its genetic variants.

(c) "Ilar viruses" means a grouping of viruses, including apple mosaic virus and Prunus necrotic ringspot, which share common characteristics including spherical in shape, with genetic material in three different particles and commonly inducing ring spots in hosts.

(d) "Powdery mildew" means the disease caused by Podosphaera macularis (WALLR.: FR) Lind = Podosphaera humuli (DC) Burrill.

(e) "Verticillium wilt" means the disease caused by Verticillium albo-atrum Reinke & Berth, or hop strains of this organism.

(2) "Department" means the Washington state department of agriculture.

(3) "Director" means the director of the Washington state department of agriculture or the director's authorized representative.

(4) "Hops" means Humulus lupulus L.

(5) "Regulated articles" means plants and all parts (except the cones) of hops.

The quarantine area is all states and districts of the United States outside of the states of Washington, Idaho, and Oregon.

The sale, offering to sell, transporting, disposing of, distributing and/or planting of regulated articles from or originating in the quarantine area are prohibited.

All regulated articles arriving in the state of Washington in violation of this quarantine shall be immediately sent out of the state or destroyed at the option and expense of the owner or owners, or their responsible agents.

The restrictions on the movement of regulated articles set forth in this chapter shall not apply to hop plants or parts of plants imported for research purposes by the United States Department of Agriculture or the Clean Plant Center at Washington State University, Prosser, Washington.

The director may allow by special permit the transportation, distribution, disposal, or planting of regulated articles from the quarantine area. Such permit shall specify terms and conditions pursuant to RCW 17.24.041 and 17.24.091. Permits may be requested by contacting the Washington State Department of Agriculture, Plant Protection Division, 1111 Washington Street S.E., P.O. Box 42560, Olympia, WA 98504-2560; fax 360-902-2094; or email: PlantServices@agr.wa.gov.

All violations of this chapter shall be dealt with according to the provisions in RCW 17.24.141.