Terms used in the singular form in this subpart shall be construed as the plural, and vice-versa, as the case may demand. The following terms, when used in this subpart, shall be construed, respectively, to mean:

Administrator. The Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture, or any employee of the United States Department of Agriculture delegated to act in his or her stead.

From. An article is considered to be “from” any country or locality in which it originated or any country(ies) or locality(ies) in which it was offloaded prior to arrival in the United States.

Import. (importation, imported). To import or move into the United States.

Inspector. Any individual authorized by the Administrator or the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security, to enforce the regulations in this subpart.

Person. Any individual, corporation, company, society, association or other organized group.

Phytosanitary certificate of inspection. A document relating to a regulated article, which is issued by a plant protection official of the country in which the regulated article was grown, which is issued not more than 15 days prior to shipment of the regulated article from the country in which grown, which is addressed to the plant protection service of the United States (Plant Protection and Quarantine), which contains a description of the regulated article intended to be imported into the United States, which certifies that the article has been thoroughly inspected, is believed to be free from injurious plant diseases, injurious insect pests, and other plant pests, and is otherwise believed to be eligible for importation pursuant to the current phytosanitary laws and regulations of the United States.

Plant gum. Any of numerous colloidal polysaccharide substances of plant origin that are gelatinous when moist but harden on drying. Plant gums include but are not limited to acacia gum, guar gum, gum arabic, locust gum and tragacanth gum.

Plant pest. The egg, pupal, and larval stages as well as any other living stage of any insects, mites, nematodes, slugs, snails, protozoa, or other invertebrate animals, bacteria, fungi, other parasitic plants or reproductive parts thereof, viruses, or any organisms similar to or allied with any of the foregoing, or any infectious substances, which can directly or indirectly injure or cause disease or damage in any plants or parts thereof, or any processed, manufactured, or other products of plants.

Plant Protection and Quarantine. The organizational unit within the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, delegated responsibility for enforcing provisions of the Plant Protection Act and related legislation, quarantines, and regulations.

Secretary. The Secretary of Agriculture, or any other officer or employee of the Department of Agriculture to whom authority to act in his/her stead has been or may hereafter be delegated.

United States. The States, District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands of the United States.