Bringing back foreign plants causes problems for travelers
The Japanese beetle was first seen at a New Jersey plant nursery in 1916. It is believed the insect entered the U.S. in an uninspected lower bulb shipment from Japan. It now infests the entire eastern half of the nation.
Guidelines at customs
The lists of plants and food products that are allowed into the United States from abroad change frequently with any new disease outbreak or pest infestation. Check the lists before you go, and follow these tips if you plan to bring foreign fruit, vegetables or plant specimens back to your garden:
¢ Seek help if you aren’t certain what is allowed through Customs. Check a telephone book for the numbers of the nearest U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection branch or Plant Protection and Quarantine office. U.S. embassies and consulates in host nations also may be able to assist.
¢ Nursery stock, roots, bulbs, seeds and other plant parts must be accompanied by a phytosanitary (clean plant) certificate issued by the national plant protection service of the exporting country.
¢ Flower bulbs and seeds often are admitted but the packages must be stamped with a phytosanitary certificate. They also must be free of any soil that could harbor diseases or plant pests.
¢ Beware any packing materials containing such unprocessed plant materials as grass or straw. They’re often prohibited. Wood can be used for packaging, but only if it fits certain guidelines.
¢ Be selective about what you buy. Plants that grow well in exotic locations may not survive a dramatic habitat or hardiness zone change.
Source: The Associated Press
Gardeners are fond of purchasing promising plant specimens while traveling abroad – a few seed packets here, some live stem cuttings there. But many are surprised when those prized collectibles are weeded out and dumped upon their return.
Customs and Homeland Security officers are looking for prohibited plant materials, meat, poultry and animal byproducts that could pose long-term economic or ecological threats to the nation’s agriculture industry.
Many of those plant materials conceal insects or diseases relatively benign on their home turf but that could become troublesome when introduced into new surroundings with no natural defenses.
“A lot of pathogens we don’t know are going to become problems until they’re established in the environment,” said Bill Aley, a senior import specialist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. “Then they come up on our radar screen and they’re already displacing native flora and fauna.”
On a typical day in 2007, Customs and Border Protection agents inspected 251,000 incoming international air travelers, 74,100 passengers and crew arriving by ship and 304,000 people returning to the United States via privately owned vehicles.
In the process, they seized 4,296 prohibited meat or plant materials, including 164 agricultural pests at ports of entry, officials said.
“That’s a very important mission for this agency although it’s not as visible,” said Erlinda Byrd, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security. “The most effective way to stop diseases and pests from destroying our natural resources is to keep them from coming in.”
Lois Berg Stack, an ornamental horticulture specialist with University of Maine’s Cooperative Extension Service, helps develop itineraries for international garden tours and frequently joins as a participant. Stack has four basic rules the casual traveler should know:
¢ Plants or plant parts must be declared at U.S. Customs upon your return.
¢ Anyone transporting plants or plant parts (stem cuttings, seeds, fruits that contain seeds, among them) that are intended for propagation must fill out a phytosanitary (clean of pests or disease) certificate in advance.
¢ Many fruits, vegetables and ornamental plants can easily be transported in small quantities across the border from Mexico and Canada. There are exceptions, however, that require a permit.
¢ It is illegal to transport soil into the U.S. without a permit issued in advance. That means potted plants in soil can’t be brought in, and travelers who have visited farms must present their shoes at Customs and their footwear may need to be disinfected.