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Post by castanea on Apr 9, 2013 20:07:06 GMT -5
I just got hit by this for the first time. I have ordered many packages from overseas, including a number that have specified for example "tubers and plant material" on the customs form, that came through without a hitch. So, I was feeling pretty confident when a friend traveling in Peru, Bolivia, and Chile for the past month asked how he should ship the 40+ varieties of oca and ulluco he collected for me. I told him all in one box That was a mistake!  Did he find any mauka? |
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Post by billw on Apr 9, 2013 21:10:27 GMT -5
I wish. As I understand it, it is not likely to be found at markets and I had already asked more of him than I was comfortable with.
Oh well, he goes there every year or two, so maybe I will have another opportunity.
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Post by synergy on Apr 10, 2013 2:38:36 GMT -5
Re: onions in liquor boxes. In Canada we are cautioned by the post office to not ship anything in liquor boxes , they are not acceptable apparently and I don't know why .
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Post by MikeH on Apr 10, 2013 3:08:00 GMT -5
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Post by billw on Aug 26, 2013 14:04:19 GMT -5
At first I thought someone was playing a joke on me.
A couple of USDA folks rolled up and asked me about an eBay purchase of Ukrainian TPS. Apparently they frown on that. I never really thought about restrictions on TPS import - that just seems silly.
Anyway, these folks drove three hours from the nearest city to confiscate any remaining seeds or plants that I grew from them. So, I gave them ~54 row feet of potatoes grown from seed, which they apparently will take to Seattle for analysis by a plant pathologist and then bury six feet deep to prevent any "further contamination."
Thankfully, they were friendly enough, as bureaucrats go. I'm sure they could have bulldozed my garden if they wanted to. Still, I would rather have eaten those potatoes. Most of the plants were no good for breeding and would have ended up in our gullets anyway, so no real loss.
Anyway, watch out for Russian/Ukrainian TPS. Apparently they are monitoring eBay and will come find you if you buy any.
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Post by khoomeizhi on Aug 26, 2013 15:07:22 GMT -5
huh. is there a particular disease vector or something they're even looking for? or was it a more sociological kind of 'contamination'?
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Post by steev on Aug 26, 2013 15:22:45 GMT -5
Wish I had my snout deep enough in the tax-trough to joyride around like that.
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Post by billw on Aug 26, 2013 16:26:38 GMT -5
I'm not sure that there is any reasoning behind it. I asked exactly what diseases they would be worried about in potato seeds and they mentioned something about nematodes. I think it comes down to the fact that potatoes are on the no import list and it doesn't matter if they are tubers or seeds. It's just a rule and they are in the business of enforcing rules.
The most interesting part is that they are monitoring eBay sales.
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Post by MikeH on Aug 26, 2013 19:37:00 GMT -5
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Post by steev on Aug 26, 2013 21:52:25 GMT -5
As always, the rules are written by Big Ag for their protection. Quarantines, import restrictions, organic certification, all the same: protect Big Biz because they have the bucks to buy legislation/legislators. Truly a sad commentary on "representative government".
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Post by wingnut on Aug 26, 2013 22:05:03 GMT -5
I just wonder if they can find, track, and confiscate a crop of potatoes from a pack of seed...why not tons of cocaine,heroine, and meth!?!?!
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Post by nathanp on Aug 26, 2013 22:24:16 GMT -5
Apparently they have nothing better to do than send several people to track down $3 packets of TPS instead of worrying about real agricultural problems.
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Post by steev on Aug 27, 2013 0:24:01 GMT -5
C'mon, guys; d'you think they aren't cherry-picking to justify their pay? What?! You want them to go after multi-million dollar drug cartels? You want them to go after crazy meth distribution networks? You want them to attack multi-national heroin networks? Get a grip! They're going after "small potatoes" because there's no blow-back. They get no negative response from above (bad evaluations); they get no negative response from below (dead agents); just doin' their jobs; just workin' toward retirement. Who gives a husky fuck, anyway?
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Post by templeton on Aug 27, 2013 1:55:58 GMT -5
I just wonder if they can find, track, and confiscate a crop of potatoes from a pack of seed...why not tons of cocaine,heroine, and meth!?!?! Ahhh, I don't think the drug cartels advertise on ebay... Not the way to stay under the radar. And TPS growers and sellers don't own their own private armies and submarines... And as Steev points out, they are going for the low hanging fruit (or tubers in this case). But I hear what you're saying Bill - I was quite surprised to get a 'we're watching you, we know you import seeds, so you better know the rules and play by them' letter from customs here in Aust a few months ago. At least I didn't lose a whole crop of interesting material. My commiserations. T |
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Post by steev on Aug 27, 2013 3:33:56 GMT -5
Indeed so. I have never supposed "they" weren't watching sites such as this; my attitude being "Bite me, ya bastids!". If I were a gummint agent, I would certainly keep an eye on such easy pickings; but then, I'd never be a gummint agent.
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