The USDA site states that phytosanitary certs are not mandatory. These differ to export certificates. So Joe Bloggs can, rightly or wrongly, ship a plant abroad. Doesn’t mean it has a hope of of getting to its destination as it will be listed as a plant and probably destroyed at point of entry. What I was trying to state was I feel responsibility lies more with the purchaser and not the seller. If you buy a car online from abroad the seller is not responsible for checking you have the relevant paperwork done, that is the buyer’s responsibility. If I buy shoes from the states they will happily send them to me and I will be hit with all the taxes and charges when they arrive, nothing to do with the seller. The seller cannot be fully aware of every countries import regulations. Some of the much bigger companies are and will sort all the paperwork/charges for you, other smaller sellers don’t. I agree that any bona fide seller should try to be aware and not be taking your money if they know it will probably never get to its destination, and it doesn’t stop unscrupulous vendors from taking your money.
Well we are going round in circles here, but the responsibility of obtaining a phyto cert rests with the vendor in the states, it is not possible for the purchaser to do so because the principle is the plant material should be physically inspected and declared fit at point of origin prior to export. Customs duties are of course different and are the responsibility of the purchaser in the receiving country. It’s a bit different to buying a pair of shoes.
Your excerpt is puzzling @Emptyheadtime, because on enquiring about a particular rose variety unavailable in Europe I was told in no uncertain terms by a reputable US rose vendor that it is a ‘USDA requirement’ that they obtain one to comply with export rules. This was from a state that is currently free of RRD, or was last year, but nevertheless I decided not to risk it so didn’t proceed. It’s possible it’s mandatory in some states but not federal law, no idea..
But we’re getting off topic here, the point is we should be responsible citizens and not succumb to the temptation to smuggle in plants, with all the inherent risks.
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
But we’re getting off topic here, the point is we should be responsible citizens and not succumb to the temptation to smuggle in plants, with all the inherent risks.
I totally agree😃. I am no expert in the matter and the conflicting info alone here shows just how hard it is for someone to legally import a plant without all the correct paperwork and best to be left to the experts who can do it properly.
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I agree that any bona fide seller should try to be aware and not be taking your money if they know it will probably never get to its destination, and it doesn’t stop unscrupulous vendors from taking your money.
Your excerpt is puzzling @Emptyheadtime, because on enquiring about a particular rose variety unavailable in Europe I was told in no uncertain terms by a reputable US rose vendor that it is a ‘USDA requirement’ that they obtain one to comply with export rules. This was from a state that is currently free of RRD, or was last year, but nevertheless I decided not to risk it so didn’t proceed. It’s possible it’s mandatory in some states but not federal law, no idea..
But we’re getting off topic here, the point is we should be responsible citizens and not succumb to the temptation to smuggle in plants, with all the inherent risks.