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Seeds Intercepted by Homeland Security

With it getting close to christmas maybe now is the best time to import seeds. The mail centres will be overwhelmed. Well thats what I am hoping anyway cos I got 24 species hopefully in transit right now. Half wilds and half chinenses. Have they really banned chinense here? Im going to have to look into that.
I looked into whether cap chinenses are banned in austraia and luckily they are not.
 
http://pflanzengesundheit.jki.bund.de/dokumente/upload/d10cd_au3-2012-seeds-capsicum.pdf
 
But according to this pdf half of the wilds on order are. Hmmmm. I am now wondering if they open the package whether they will just sterilize the lot or only the banned ones.
 
From what I read,Homeland security is supposed to be geared to mainly inspecting stuff from targeted places of origin.
Packages from countries that are considered a threat or drug producers are routinely inspected.

Most seed problems I've had were from Customs...

I didn't think Oz would be in their inspection zone.

Maybe another piece of past mail was what put up a red flag on you or the sender in general.

Seems Oz has import stuff that recently was made very strict.
I'd think it would have nothing to do with homeland security here.Imported stuff.
Oz only regulates what goes in,not out in general.
Though some Countries prohibit export of stuff considered as being their national treasures or whatever(brazil for 1 about wild stuff,Peru about certain plants,I'm sure there are more).

At least I know people who send stuff out with little problems,getting stuff in can and is a problem at times from what I've read in general.

Wonder what part of Customs is MAYBE now a part of Homeland Security.
I didn't think Homeland Security would step in unless they were notified to do so.
Terrorist Threat or whatever.
Maybe things are changing these days,Gov.wise,more than we know.

Washington sucks these days,leaning towards socialism...

Seeds being confiscated by Customs is acceptable,Homeland Security is a totally different thing in my opinion.
Overkill at the least.
Sounds wrong to me.
I've got a couple empty envelopes with a Customs notice over the years.
No big deal.
Homeland Security is a lot different in my opinion.
Like maybe getting on someones Shlit list.
Big brother type thing.
I might just be paranoid but it doesn't mean someone isn't watching me. LOL
Really weird I think.
 
Boguspokus said:
With it getting close to christmas maybe now is the best time to import seeds. The mail centres will be overwhelmed. Well thats what I am hoping anyway cos I got 24 species hopefully in transit right now. Half wilds and half chinenses. Have they really banned chinense here? Im going to have to look into that.

I looked into whether cap chinenses are banned in austraia and luckily they are not.
 
http://pflanzengesundheit.jki.bund.de/dokumente/upload/d10cd_au3-2012-seeds-capsicum.pdf
 
But according to this pdf half of the wilds on order are. Hmmmm. I am now wondering if they open the package whether they will just sterilize the lot or only the banned ones.
Click to expand...
That pdf states that chinense varieties are permitted! Fingers crossed they come through!!!!
 
I have been sending seeds all over the world without any problems so far but the US and Australia has the hardest customs to get through. Maybe something to do with the GMO companies that have a hand in this so called security as well?
 
megahot said:
Ive heard from Smileyguy that Australia cannot receive seeds. I have no idea why? I have nothing against Australia or Australians. But it makes absolutely no sense! I just sent some pepper seeds also. Im pretty sure the same thing will happen.Did you fill out a customs form? How did you send the seeds, Bubble mailer?
Click to expand...
i found out the hard way why
this happened to me last year
 
you need what OZ customs calls a  PHYTO-SANITARY CERTIFICATE you must prove that the seeds have been cleaned and are free of spores,molds, fungi,leaf and peppers pieces, in most cases if you send them without one they will sieze them and contact the person your sending them to and they will be required to pay around $50.00 Australian dollars to get them out of impound, that sucks!!
it makes no sense at all your right
i hope that this doent happen i just had a package go missing on its way to Indonesia and we got no notifacation on either end, im trying again, because i wanted to try and remburse him for the loss
 
thanks your friend Joe
 
smokemaster said:
From what I read,Homeland security is supposed to be geared to mainly inspecting stuff from targeted places of origin.
Packages from countries that are considered a threat or drug producers are routinely inspected.

Most seed problems I've had were from Customs...

I didn't think Oz would be in their inspection zone.

Maybe another piece of past mail was what put up a red flag on you or the sender in general.

Seems Oz has import stuff that recently was made very strict.
I'd think it would have nothing to do with homeland security here.Imported stuff.
Oz only regulates what goes in,not out in general.
Though some Countries prohibit export of stuff considered as being their national treasures or whatever(brazil for 1 about wild stuff,Peru about certain plants,I'm sure there are more).

At least I know people who send stuff out with little problems,getting stuff in can and is a problem at times from what I've read in general.

Wonder what part of Customs is MAYBE now a part of Homeland Security.
I didn't think Homeland Security would step in unless they were notified to do so.
Terrorist Threat or whatever.
Maybe things are changing these days,Gov.wise,more than we know.

Washington sucks these days,leaning towards socialism...

Seeds being confiscated by Customs is acceptable,Homeland Security is a totally different thing in my opinion.
Overkill at the least.
Sounds wrong to me.
I've got a couple empty envelopes with a Customs notice over the years.
No big deal.
Homeland Security is a lot different in my opinion.
Like maybe getting on someones Shlit list.
Big brother type thing.
I might just be paranoid but it doesn't mean someone isn't watching me
Click to expand...
 
 
 Deparement of homeland security  was created back in 2002 i belive after the terriost attacks. its jsut the overall deparment  with a handfull of child agencyes.
US customs and border protection, US Coast Guard, the TSA,FEMA. ICE and a few others.
 
 
And maybe it was possible that they people mistaked it for some MJ seeds, there has been a big influx of this happen with people order mj seeds and haveing them shipped to the US. So maybe the package didnt say they were pepper seeds,a nd they mistaked them and impoudned them because of that.
 
Just like the doj is the name of serveral smaller things,
 
Pr0digal_son said:
Australia has been ravaged by invasive species,yes,most of that is animal life,but some plant,fungi,parasite also. Maybe capsicum carry diseases that are bad for rare plants there,or even cultivated stuff.
Click to expand...
 
I'm thinking it's something like this.  I remember one Australian grower who used to be on thp had her crop ravaged by some kind of a pest.  Maybe the US is trying to keep these out?  IDK.  I'd still be curious if anyone knows specifically why Capsicum from Australia seems to be prohibited entry into the US.
 
Watch that episode when the Simpsons go to Australia. Lmao that's something to think about, who got the idea on what to lay on that particular episode? Weird...

-Walt
 
OMG I feel so safe. I am soooo glad to hear they kept those volatile seeds from endangering our way of life. We should give them all raises. Now if they could just do something about those pesky illegal immigrants and drug cartels.
 
I'm waiting on a few things from Lourens in S. Africa, i hope that they make it, He sent a envelope to me a month ago that disapeared between here and there, i sure hope Homeland doesn't take it, he's sending some reaper and some other seeds I they are some wild species that I'm looking for, but they could be anything, Homeland is sure screwing things up, but i have a feeling that the problem goes deeper than just customs and home land, Monsanto has been trying to brock all trading of none hybrid seed that is not carried by their sub companies. they have been working hand in hand with the USDA and have made if very dificult to get any seeds from the Grin Seed bank. Having said all of that i had a package from Germany that the Custom office stopped never got the apple seeds and live cuttings that was sent with them, I did get a note from the customs office saying that the cuttings and seeds were distroyed along with a stern warning that I could be fined and locked up.
 
 
you must prove that the seeds have been cleaned and are free of spores,molds, fungi,leaf and peppers pieces
Click to expand...
But aparantly, if you can swim in or arrive on a raft or boat------------ :shh:
 
 
Sorry, non-PC but just couldn't resist.
 
Don't come around for a few days and look what i miss. Yeah i was told if i wanted to send seeds to Australia I'd have to put them in crushed pepper flakes and call it "seasoning" otherwise they'll be confiscated. I can see how they'd want to keep spores or mold out but come on..

Any how I've had seeds arrive from all over the world and never had a problem. That's assanine that they'd destroy them on you. What a shame and sorry about your luck.
 
I think sometimes it's just who's on the watch-list this week!  I have never had issues with seed from US - always gets through.  I am friggin hesitant to order from Oz though - there are too many Mary Jane connections between South Africa, Oz and New Zealand!  And customs are always intercepting post between those two and RSA.  I've also had mega-issues with seed from Semillas via Las Palmas - I only found out after my seed never arrived (and dang it was a lot of seriously amazing stuff!) that our Customs watch that route because Spain/Morocco/Canary Islands are a major smuggling route for hash and coke into RSA.  Well well, thanks punks!!!
 
So I would say you have to choose carefully - and if need be get the source to send to "a-not-watched" location and from there send it on - I have done this in the past.
 
you need what OZ customs calls a PHYTO-SANITARY CERTIFICATE you must prove that the seeds have been cleaned and are free of spores,molds, fungi,leaf and peppers pieces, in most cases if you send them without one they will sieze them and contact the person your sending them to and they will be required to pay around $50.00 Australian dollars to get them out of impound, that sucks!!

thanks your friend Joe


This makes total sense to me. It helps keep invasive species out. Should be enforced with anything hopping continents.

Invasive species are a serious issue in the US as well as Aus. When we aren't purposely doing it to solve this issue or that by messing with mother nature, it's carelessness that let's things slip through.

Requiring seeds to be sanitized when jumping continents is totally legit in my opinion. This phyto-sanitary certificate sounds like a good way to police it and a $50 charge doesn't sound too ridiculous to have the gov sanitize them, especially if it's a large lot.
 
Sm1nts2escape said:
Just wanted to update and say that the seeds I ordered from Australia made it and they were clearly labeled Chilli seeds on the bubble envelope.
Click to expand...
 
Did it have a phytosanitary certificate?
 
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