§147-7  Inspection and classification ofagricultural commodities; fees.  (a)  The department may contract with theUnited States Department of Agriculture for obtaining the services of asupervising inspector employed by the federal department and the establishmentof a cooperative inspection service with the United States government.  Thedepartment, or the supervising inspector, with the approval of the department,may designate any competent employee or agent of the department as an inspectorto inspect or classify agricultural commodities in accordance with rules of thedepartment, and at the time and places designated by the supervising inspectoror the department.

(b)  The inspectors shall be authorized toinspect or classify agricultural commodities at the request of persons having afinancial interest in the commodities, or as mandated by subsection (d), and toascertain and certify to the persons the grade, classification, quality,condition, or origin of them and other pertinent facts.

(c)  The department may fix, assess, andcollect or cause to be collected fees for the services when they are performedby employees of the department.  The fees shall be on a uniform basis and in anamount reasonably necessary to cover the cost of inspection and theadministration of this part; provided that the department may prescribe areasonable charge for traveling expenses and extraordinary services when theperformance of the services involves unusual cost in their performance.  No feeshall be charged for an inspection unless the inspection was requested by aperson having a financial interest in the inspected commodity or the inspectionwas mandated by subsection (d).

(d)  All Hawaii-grown green coffee beans shallbe inspected and certified by the department for grade and origin unlessotherwise specified by rules of the department.

(e)  The department may adopt rulesestablishing the requirements, procedures, restrictions, and other criterianecessary for establishing a program of self inspection and certification ofagricultural commodities. [L 1945, c 252, §7; RL 1955, §22-6; am L Sp 1959 2d,c 1, §22; am L 1961, c 132, §2; HRS §147-7; am L 1978, c 12, §1; am L Sp 1995,c 8, §2; am L 1997, c 345, §2]