News
USDA working with China to halt shipment of unsolicited seeds
The US and China are working together to answer the many questions surrounding unsolicited seeds sent to US citizens.
Osama El-Lissy with the Animal and Plant Health inspection Service says USDA is working with their Chinese counterparts to figure out who is sending the seeds and how to stop future shipments. He says they do know the names of the companies, but…
“We don’t know the background information about these companies and that is why we are working with our counterparts in China to follow up with some of these senders.”
El-Lissy says they have received more than 9,000 emails from private citizens receiving seeds and have collected more than 900 seed packages to inspect.
While they have only been able to inspect a small percentage delivered packages, he says they have not found the seeds to be much of a threat.
“We found one seed that is considered to be a noxious weed that is called dodder We also found one larva in one seed that is a leaf beetle, they are common in the United States.”
USDA is also working with US Customs and Border Protection, the Chinese postal service and primary e-commerce companies to intercept any future packages being shipped to the US.
