The Secretary shall cause official weighing under standards or procedures provided for in section 76 of this title to be made of all grain required to be officially weighed as provided in section 77 of this title, in accordance with such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe.
The Secretary is authorized to cause official weighing or supervision of weighing under standards or procedures provided in section 76 of this title to be performed at any grain elevator, warehouse, or other storage or handling facility located other than at export elevators at export port locations at which official inspection is provided pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, in such manner as the Secretary deems appropriate and under such regulations as the Secretary may provide.
The Secretary is authorized to cause official weighing under this chapter to be made, as provided in subsection (a) of section 77 of this title, in Canadian ports of United States export grain transshipped through Canada; and pursuant thereto the Secretary is authorized to enter into an agreement with the Canadian Government for such official weighing. All or specified functions of such weighing shall be performed by official inspection personnel employed by the Secretary or, except for appeals, by persons operating under a contract with the Secretary or as otherwise provided by agreement with the Canadian Government.
The Secretary is further authorized to cause official weighing or supervision of weighing under standards or procedures provided for in section 76 of this title to be made at grain elevators, warehouses, or other storage or handling facilities not subject to subsection (a) or (b) of this section, upon request of the operator of such grain elevator, warehouse, or other storage or handling facility and in accordance with such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe.
No official weighing or supervision of weighing shall be provided for the purposes of this chapter at any grain elevator, warehouse, or other storage or handling facility until such time as the operator of the facility has demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Secretary that the operator (1) has and will maintain, in good order, suitable grain-handling equipment and accurate scales for all weighing of grain at the facility, in accordance with the regulations of the Secretary; (2) will permit only competent persons with a reputation for honesty and integrity and who are approved by the Secretary to operate the scales and to handle grain in connection with weighing of the grain, in accordance with this chapter; (3) when weighing is to be done by persons other than official inspection personnel, will require such persons to operate the scales in accordance with the regulations of the Secretary and to require that each lot of grain for delivery from any railroad car, truck, barge, vessel, or other means of conveyance at the facility is entirely removed from such means of conveyance and delivered to the scales without avoidable waste or loss, and each lot of grain weighed at the elevator for shipment from the facility is entirely delivered to the means of conveyance for which intended, and without avoidable waste or loss, in accordance with the regulations of the Secretary; (4) will provide all assistance needed by the Secretary for making any inspection or examination and carrying out other functions at the facility pursuant to this chapter; and (5) will comply with all other requirements of this chapter and the regulations hereunder.
Official certificates setting out the results of official weighing or supervision of weighing, issued and not cancelled under this chapter, shall be received by all officers and all courts of the United States as prima facie evidence of the truth of the facts stated therein.
No State or local governmental agency or person other than an authorized employee of the Secretary shall perform official weighing or supervision of weighing for the purposes of this chapter except in accordance with the provisions of an unsuspended and unrevoked delegation of authority or designation by the Secretary as provided in this section or as otherwise provided in section 79(i) of this title and subsection (d).
Subject to subparagraph (B), not more than one designated official agency referred to in paragraph (1) or State agency delegated authority pursuant to subsection (c)(2) to carry out the weighing provisions of this chapter shall be operative at the same time in any geographic area defined by the Secretary.
The provisions of this section shall not limit any authority vested in the Secretary under the United States Warehouse Act (39 Stat. 486, as amended; 7 U.S.C. 241 et seq.).
The representatives of the Secretary shall be afforded access to any elevator, warehouse, or other storage or handling facility from which grain is delivered for shipment in interstate or foreign commerce or to which grain is delivered from shipment in interstate or foreign commerce and all facilities therein for weighing grain.