E.U to U.S seed permits and regulations

[NC_Palms]

Before I place a wholesale order from RPS, I have a few questions about the USDA regulations on sending large quantities of seeds from Europe to the U.S.

My first question is who will provide the Phyto certification? And secondly, will I need to get an import permit and/or the small lots permit? 

 

 

[Hillizard]

4 hours ago, NC_Palms said:

Before I place a wholesale order from RPS, I have a few questions about the USDA regulations on sending large quantities of seeds from Europe to the U.S.

My first question is who will provide the Phyto certification? And secondly, will I need to get an import permit and/or the small lots permit? 

 

 

This might help answer your questions: On the RPS website: https://www.rarepalmseeds.com/import
"United States of America:
All seeds must be accompanied by a phyto, unless they are imported in small quantities (<50 per species) or are  lightweight and you are holder of a small lots permit. More general information can be obtained here: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/import-information/permits/plants-and-plant-products-permits/ct_plantproducts "

" Seeds of trees or shrubs require an import permit. According to latest information from the USDA, palms, cycads, agaves, screw pines, bananas, heliconias and the like are not considered trees or shrubs and therefore do not require an import permit. If you need help filling in your permit application, please contact us."

[Darold Petty]

I hold an Aphis 587 permit for import of small lots of palm seed with no documentation from country of origin.  This is easily obtained, mostly by on-line application.  The final step is your appearance in person with ID to verify your true identity.

  The instructions and conditions are fairly complex, and they give the perrmit holder a WRONG impression of the procedure.  For example, after my initial reading I assumed that I could hand carry my seeds to any port of USA entry, and just declare the seeds, accompanied by my permit documents.  This is not correct, the front line USDA personel who meet arrriving persons from overseas are not trained or authorized for this seed examination.  These personel often take 30 or 40 minutes trying to determine their proper course of action. 

  These front line USDA personel are supposed to take your seeds, issue you a paper receipt, and forward the seeds to one of several designated inspection facilities, the closest one to your port of entry.  For example, flying home from Argentina I entered the USA at Dallas/ Fort Worth.  I live in San Francisco, and there is an approved facility just 10km from my home, adjacent to SFO.  I asked that the seeds be sent there, but no luck, they were sent to Houston.  Although the USDA pays shipping from your port of entry to the approved facility, the USDA DOES NOT pay shipping to your home.  After my Houston seeds passed inspection, I sent by fax transmission a UPS mailing label, prepaid with the estimated shipping cost.

  The most reliable and secure way is to mail your seeds from overseas directly to the approved inspecton facility. However, this can be problematic at the overseas locaton.  In Buenos Aires I was told by DHL that I needed a special permit from an Argentine agency.  At the UPS office (just down the street) I was told that a completely different agency was required.   I have imported seed four times now, but arbitrary and capricious enforcement can still result in confiscation of your seeds.

  For example, last year a Palmtalkerfrom New Zealand generously offered to send me seed of a very high elevation Geonoma.  I was thrilled by this offer, I had seen this species in habitat in Ecuador in 1996.  To maximise my success of obtaining these seeds I sent in advance the permit conditions and mailing labels to the NZ Palmtalker.  My seeds were confiscated and destroyed because of two trivial violations of the permit conditions.  One, the sender had put my name on the outside of the package, rather than SOLELY the USDA mailing label,  Two, the sender failed to enclose an 8.5x11 inch paper receipt, even thought the seeds were a free, non-commercial gift.   The seeds were properly identified, referenced in the rejection letter sent to me by USDA so there can be no argument that the seeds were an unknown species.  Therefore my seeds were destroyed solely for a trivial paperwork violation rather than one about disease or pest organisms.

  Rejection like this only encourages me to forego the permit, and just smuggle the seeds in my luggage.  I have never purchased a large quantity of seed from RPS.  I did order 100 seeds each of  Ceroxylon parvifrons and C. quindiuense.  These came with no problem through the regular mail.

   Thanks for reading this long rant, I hope others can profit from my experience.  I do still plan to comply with my Aphis permit, just to be very careful about EVERY trivial condition in the FOUR pages of conditons.  

[PalmatierMeg]

I tried the small seeds permit route, never imported a thing because of onerous conditions, which required me to travel to Miami to retrieve seeds (6-8 hr round trip), establish a Fed Ex acct or give US Customs access to my credit card. Forget that.

I have ordered small lots of seeds from RPS for years and never had a seizure

 

 

[NC_Palms]

16 hours ago, Hillizard said:

This might help answer your questions: On the RPS website: https://www.rarepalmseeds.com/import
"United States of America:
All seeds must be accompanied by a phyto, unless they are imported in small quantities (<50 per species) or are  lightweight and you are holder of a small lots permit. More general information can be obtained here: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/import-information/permits/plants-and-plant-products-permits/ct_plantproducts "

" Seeds of trees or shrubs require an import permit. According to latest information from the USDA, palms, cycads, agaves, screw pines, bananas, heliconias and the like are not considered trees or shrubs and therefore do not require an import permit. If you need help filling in your permit application, please contact us."

So as far as I am aware, I won’t need the small lot permit since I’ll have the Phyto and I won’t need the import permit since I’ll be ordering only palm seeds?