PDFWAC 16-302-860

Field standards for hemp certification.

(1) Crop inspection:
(a) It is the grower's responsibility to ensure that fields are inspected by an authorized inspector at least once prior to swathing or harvesting, except in the case of foundation, registered, and certified monoecious types and unisexual hybrids and foundation dioecious types, in which two inspections are required.
(b) A field that is cut, swathed, or harvested prior to crop inspection is not eligible for certification.
(c) Fields must be inspected at a stage of growth when varietal purity is best determined. Crops not inspected at the proper stage for best determining varietal purity may be cause for declining certified status.
(i) First inspection for all classes of monoecious types must be made just before or at early flowering. First inspection for all classes of dioecious types must be made after flowering when male plants are beginning to senesce.
(ii) Second inspection for all classes of monoecious types, and the foundation class of dioecious types must be made when seeds are well forming.
(iii) Isolation areas will be inspected for volunteer hemp plants on each inspection.
(iv) Excessive weeds or other factors that prevent varietal purity and identity determination shall be cause for the department to reject the affected field for certification purposes.
(v) Fields planted in such a manner that prevents inspector access shall be cause for the department to reject the affected field for certification purposes unless the grower remedies the condition in a timely manner as required by the department.
(2) Impurity standards:
(a) Impurities should be removed prior to crop inspection.
(b) Any combination of impurities may be reason for declining certified status.
(c) Table 2 indicates the maximum number of impurities permitted in approximately ten thousand plants of the inspected crop. The inspector makes at least six counts (ten thousand plants each) or the equivalent to determine the number of impurities. The resulting average of these counts must not exceed the maximum impurity standards in Table 2.
Table 2: Maximum Impurity Standards
Plot Crop
Maximum Impurity Standards per 10,000 plants in Hemp Seed Crops
Maximum Number of Dioecious Male Plants Shedding Pollen
Maximum Number of Off-Types or Other Varieties
Dioecious type -
Foundation
3
Dioecious type -
Registered
10
Dioecious type -
Certified
20
Monoecious type -
Foundation
1
3
Monoecious type -
Registered
2
10
Monoecious type -
Certified
100
20
[Statutory Authority: RCW 15.49.005, [15.49].021, [15.49].310, [15.49].370, and 15.140.030. WSR 21-20-101, § 16-302-860, filed 10/4/21, effective 11/4/21. Statutory Authority: RCW 15.120.030(3), 15.49.021, 15.49.310, and chapter 34.05 RCW. WSR 17-08-090, § 16-302-860, filed 4/5/17, effective 5/6/17.]