2025 Delaware Code
Title 3 - Agriculture
Chapter 21. COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS AND SOIL CONDITIONERS
§ 2107. Inspection; sampling; analysis.

(a) It shall be the duty of the Secretary to sample, inspect, and test commercial fertilizers or soil conditioners distributed within this State at any time and place and to such an extent as the Secretary may deem necessary to determine whether such commercial fertilizers or soil conditioners are in compliance with the provisions of this chapter. The Secretary, individually or through the Secretary's agent, is authorized to enter upon any public or private premises or carriers during regular business hours in order to have access to commercial fertilizers or soil conditioners subject to the provisions of this chapter and the rules and regulations pertaining thereto, and to the records relating to their distribution; provided, however, that the action of the Secretary or the Secretary's agent hereunder shall be with the consent of the person having control over the property in which such fertilizer or soil conditioner is kept, and if without such consent, then the Secretary or the Secretary's agent is to obtain a valid search warrant therefor, specifying the premises to be searched and the purpose of the search, and setting forth probable cause.

(b) The methods of analysis and sampling shall be those adopted by the Association of Official Analytical Chemists International. In cases not covered by such methods, or in cases where methods are available in which improved applicability has been demonstrated, the Secretary may adopt such appropriate methods from other sources.

(c) The Secretary, in determining for administrative purposes whether any commercial fertilizer is deficient in plant food, shall be guided solely by the “official sample” as defined in § 2103 of this title, and obtained and analyzed as provided for in subsection (b) of this section.

(d) The results of official analysis of commercial fertilizers or soil conditioners and portions of official samples shall be distributed by the Secretary as provided in the regulations.