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Ag Inspection

I got some cuttings recently. They came in a box that had been re-taped, and wrapped with a tape from California Ag Inspection.

This came a few days after I had an inquiry from the Ag Dept of Australia about a man importing fig cuttings into Australia without a permit.

FYI







It's pretty amazing that they got it to you with essentially just a name and zip code.

I believe the address was edited out of the picture.

And... Australia? Are they still hunting to put more charges on George K?

Just another reason for folks to be careful when shipping or receiving to/from foreign countries!!

Probably asking about George K.

Jon, did the package come from Australia or is the CA AG snooping in all your packages?

Ruben,
With a UPS ground label on it had to be from the lower 48.

The box came from within the USA. But anything that is shipped UPS or FedEx is dog-sniffed on arrival in California for plant material. If it had contained soil, it would have been confiscated, most likely.

Any plant material purchased on Ebay, and shipped without a phyto certificate, TO California, is probably illegal. All citrus is prohibited, etc. I forget which state it is back east, but it is illegal to give a plant away (for free) without a nursery license (not that they are checking, but they could nail you at a garage sale).

Australia is a different issue. They take imported plant material very seriously. There are only a half-dozen banana varieties allowed in the country, for example. It is a felony-like offense to possess any other variety and to import an banana plant without a permit. Apparently fig twigs are a serious matter, as well.

As much as I would like to ship internationally, it is very difficult, and can be "dangerous" as the Australia example shows. Out of more than 5000 nurseries in San Diego County, only one has been cleared to ship to the EU: Paul Ecke poinsettias, after setting up a million\ dollar facility, wsith weekly inspections, spray programs, etc.

Again, FYI, and maybe think twice. And if twice is not enough, maybe a third time.

Definitely not my hand writing.

I find it interesting that the package was inspected and then released. So is this a package that contained cuttings or plant material? If so, does this mean that receiving fig scion, from other fig enthusiasts, into the state of Cali is OK?

Cuttings ARE plant material.

However, there are different categories of plant material. Cuttings are one category, Plants with roots (bare or with soil) are a different matter. Some things are verbotten in all cases. For instance, importing avocados up until maybe 10 ears ago. No citrus, except under extremely controlled conditions, and from many sources, not at all, period.

Apparently fig cuttings are not an issue, but until you open the package, as an Ag inspector, you do not know what is inside, only that the dog said "plant material".

Thanks for the additional info Jon. Yes I know cuttings are plant material. I just didn't pose my question correctly.


It's good to know that cuttings are currently being cleared in CA. Even if they are opened and inspected on occasion.

Sounds like USPS might be the best option to keep them from being opened for now -?

In the fall of 2009 I made an inquiry with the State of California (Food & Agriculture Permits and Regulations) in regards to sending a bare rooted fig to that state.   At that time my inquiry was sent to the Pest Exclusion program since they are the quarantine experts.   I received a helpful response outlining the procedure.


1)  All shipments of agricultural commodities are subject to inspection upon entering into California and must be found free of insects and diseases.
2)  All packages must be marked on the outside with the complete name and address of both shipper and receiver.
3)  There must be a statement of contents and origin.

I clarified the instructions in a second note:  Write on the top of the label   "Live Plant Material."    Under that, write "Ficus carica - bare root" and "originated in (the name of your home town______)"  

It was simple to do.   I carefully cleaned off the roots, removing all soil and of course made sure the plant was free from noticeable disease.   I then tied a plastic bag around the roots and keeping it moistened slightly.     Doing this, I could see for myself that the plants were clean.   I assume that a similar procedure for cuttings would be adequate.     If you want to verify this or see if there are updates to the procedure, contact the California office mentioned above.

Ingevald

Other threads indicate all UC Davis figs are virus infected. This suggestes the UC Davis got all their material within California, or got an exemption.

I've never seen FMV impact the appearange of fig wood.  If it doesn't, it's theoretically impossible for anyone to enforce FMV-infected material.

FMV is not a disease of concern from what I have seen.   Other countries may have concerns but that does not seem to be an issue here.   I think that things like fungus, bacterial infections, bugs crawling on the material, scale, nematodes, mealybugs, bug eggs, etc., are what they might be looking for.   


  If sending plants with roots, bare rooting is essential - it makes it possible for the inspectors to see what would otherwise be impossible to see.   Soils can potentially carry pathogens that could cause problems.

Ingevald

Oregon has pretty strict rules but when I moved here I called the ag dept and told them I had a few dozen plants I wanted to move with me.  They told me to get them inspected by my state's ag dept, get a certificate and present it at the border.  It cost $17, they came to my house, looked the pots over, didn't pull any roots to look at and gave me the certificate.  $17.  The ag people are really very helpful.

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  • BLB

Jon, I have a feeling you haven't recieved my package yet. I did send the plant with a root ball of soil, hope you get it.

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