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Got a call from USDA!!!

The government would regulate the air you breath if they could.I would hate to bring a beetle into the the US that would harm all of our native American fig trees. Most of the old varieties we have today were brought here by immigrants and missionaries  without permits from these same countries a long time ago.
Relax, give them some brown turkeys
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Originally Posted by Frankallen
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Originally Posted by Sburdo
In all, I gave 11 Madeira cuttings, 1 China cutting and 1 Turkey cutting. These were the ones that survived the rooting process. There were two or three that i thought were struggling, that were actually dead when I pulled them from the pots. They took the dead cuttings also. The rest were thriving and it broke my heart to pull them but lesson learned. They let me keep the pots and soil but were willing to take them also if I did not want them.
Steve.....I had 4 Madeira cuttings , 3 of the cuttings were rooting and one died! I was told to wrap them up and put them in the freezer! This is making me sick, all the pampering I've done to these cuttings. Oh we'll, maybe I should have known better. At least, eBay gave me my money back. Like you, I will stick with the good ole USA. The USDA Agents should be coming to my house within a month...Lesson learned. : ( Frank


I'm saddened for both of you. There is nothing more disheartening than to lose a plant that you have babied for any amount of time.

One thing this whole thread does do for me though is make me extremely happy that all of my starter plants were gotten from a forum member not less than 45mins drive from me. I know that all of these are good for my area and that he has had great success with them too. So all is not lost. I've learned a ton!
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Originally Posted by Frankallen
3 of the cuttings were rooting and one died!
I was told to wrap them up and put them in the freezer!


I have import permits,
and am required to do the same with
any cutting or plant that was imported,
that dies during the quarantine process.
Place in a bag and freeze.
Agent comes to retrieve
and its sent to lab for  inspection.

Same will happen with your cuttings/plants.
Bare root the plants before freezing,
wash all the soil off.
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Originally Posted by Sburdo
I did not understand the permit rules correctly.
That and having fig fever and trying to amass a superior fig quickly.
My enthusiasm has been tempered and I am better for it.


You did the right thing and it will benefit you in many ways.

Slowing down a bit will be a blessing for you.
Building a quick collection from questionable sources
leads to a large disappointment in several years.

Too many people selling unknowns on ebay,
but with a name.  Years later when you discover the deception,
too late for any recourse,
and more importantly,
YEARS OF TIME and effort were wasted.

Works this way with any "collectible" item.
Buy and learn as you go.

Great collections take time, money and determination.

Good luck on the quest,
remember the journey/hunt is half the fun.
:-)
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Originally Posted by alanmercieca
I think that cuttings should have different rules than trees.
they are no where near as much a risk, so I do not think they need a 3 year quarantine.

yet I do understand the need of some evaluation. Yet they treat every single plant part the same. When plants go from most states to most states they do not need a 3 year quarantine in most cases.


A part of a tree has the same risk as the whole tree
when it comes to boring insects.
Thus cuttings and plants/trees are treated the same way,
max diameter for cutting or colar on the plant is 10mm,
which is about 3/8"

Some species of plants that are imported,
you propagate from the mother plants,
and at the end of the quarantine period,
you DESTROY the mother plant.

If you think importing plants is tough,
try importing  SOIL.

To transport plants from state to state
you need permits,
and for many states, phytosanitary cert as well.
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Originally Posted by alanmercieca
I was just looking at EU quarantine information, way more easy to understand, a 1 year quarantine. Now that is the way it should be.

I bet the price is lower too,


Bet you would lose.
Phytosanitary in the US can be free to $25,
depending on the state.
Phyto in the EU is min of 40 Euros, which is about $55,
some countries its a 100+ Euros and other charges.

Gas is twice the price there,
food is two or three times more expensive,
electronics cost considerably more,
you will live in a small house with no land,
and you will spend double on your containers,
potting soil, fertilizers, etc.
:-)
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Yeah, I can vouch that EU is totally more expensive for Everything compared to the US! Gahhh!
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USDA Phyto for shipment to another country is currently over $100 plus some other fees.
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Jon, San Diego is one of the more expensive counties in the state.  In March I paid $56 to Sacramento County and $11.30 to USDA/APHIS for a USDA Phyto and that included a county officer coming to my farm to observe a required treatment. ;-))
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I don't want to intrude in USA laws, I think that it is very understandable that USDA controls these things. But in this globalized world, I think that beetle will arrive in USA sooner or later, and probably through a llegal import.
By the way, I live in Europe and I have never seen that beettle.
On the other hand, I think that the most of the best varieties are already in USA, and probably, most of them arrived in the last 10 years... through "illegal" imports.
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Originally Posted by pitangadiego
USDA Phyto for shipment to another country is currently over $100 plus some other fees.


In NY, a phyto for export is $25, and that is per visit.
If I have 3 shipments for export,
I pay a total of $25 for all the phyto's.

Must be more expensive in CA because of the
mandatory paid surfing time ;-)
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Originally Posted by alanmercieca
hungryjack - I was refereeing to importing to the USA, VS importing to the EU.


Alan, you are in America,
if you import from the EU,
your phyto cost will be a min of $55 or considerably more,
plus additional costs.

Alan, if you in Europe,
and you import from the US,
your phyto cost will vary depending which state its sent from,
but can cost as little as $0,
or maybe as much $50 or so.

 

Simply put, its cheaper in the US,
just like 98% of the things we buy,
lowest prices for most items are in the US.


If you feel a 1 year quarantine is such a great benefit,
you can always immigrate to the country of your choice  :-)
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Originally Posted by alanmercieca
hungryjack - the USDA allows people to send cuttings they cut them selves, there is a form for it.
I had read some of that form, and when I asked them some questions about doing that they did not deny that it could be done.
As far as someone to take care of them and such that could be a group project, and if some of the certificates are free then fig collectors in those states should bring them in to their state.
Yet I can not picture them not charging a cent



You are mistaken,
you cannot send plant material to yourself without the proper permits and certificates.

I think you greatly underestimate the amount of effort and expense your project would require.
But don't let me stop you, please start working on your project,
it would be a wonderful thing to accomplish.
Taking care of hundreds or thousands of cuttings and trees is simple  ;-)

I would point out one little flaw with your plan,
when most people vacation, its during the "high season" for a location,
when its warm, things are in bloom.
Not the best time of year to take cuttings.
The "low season" when most people are not traveling to these locations
is when its time for cuttings.
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The beetle is already in the United States. Discovered in 1996 in legally imported wood shipping crates. May have arrived in the 1980's.


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Originally Posted by Axier
I don't want to intrude in USA laws, I think that it is very understandable that USDA controls these things. But in this globalized world, I think that beetle will arrive in USA sooner or later, and probably through a llegal import.
By the way, I live in Europe and I have never seen that beettle.
On the other hand, I think that the most of the best varieties are already in USA, and probably, most of them arrived in the last 10 years... through "illegal" imports.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Axier
But in this globalized world, I think that beetle will arrive in USA sooner or later, and probably through a llegal import.


Pests are here already.

They are trying to control the spread,
additional introductions as well.

They have already eliminated this pest from several regions
and trying to prevent a reintroduction.
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One (make it 2!) real-pain-in-the-butt alien-critters that are recently bothering me much,
came here, not with any plant material; but within old car tires for re-cycling from China.

I am talking about both the new 'Black' and 'Tiger' Asian mosquitoes!

It has become so bad; that I cannot go in my backyard for a split-second without being bitten.
These fierce little buggers are active 24/7 and put the old-timer local ones to shame.

I am considering using some spray for a quick fix.

Also, I may built some bat-house and swallow-nest structures (current growing bird-nest gourds).
Both thrive on eating them bugs - if they ever take residence here...

Also, one should not leave any,any,any container that accumulates any,any rainwater.
These mosquitoes can breed in as little as 1/4 inch of water e.g., in an empty tuna can!
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'Wood' pallets that are used for shipping, are being replaced by
'plastic' ones - most probably, b/c insects being one of the reasons ...
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You aren't kidding, George. Those tiger mosquitos started showing up here too this spring. I never had a mosquito problem before. Now, if I let even a few drops of rain sit for more than a day I see larvae in them. Some bat houses aren't a bad idea. Thank for the idea!
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You are right on with the Mosquitos. I have really noticed this year how bad they are. It's scary
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I just spoke with the person at APHIS responsible for writing import permits.  She emailed me information that shows that things have changed dramatically.  FEDERAL ORDER DA-2013-18 became effective May 20, 2013 and Ficus and a long list of other genus became a prohibited item except from approved countries.  The only countries for which an import of Ficus will be allowed is Canada, China, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Mexico, Netherlands, Taiwan, Thailand.

The regulated pests are Anoplophora chinensis, the citrus longhorned beetle, and Anoplophora glabripennis, Asian longhorned beetle.

APHIS has probably stepped up enforcement efforts on eBay sales because of this new order.
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Passed Inspection !


Had to deal with a total of 8 inspections this season,
finished and passed the final one for this year.

Now I have next year's inspections to look forward too  :-(

The inspectors have to count each and every plant/cutting
during every visit, plus inspect random samples.

I think they hate me by now  ;-)

Next year they will want to kill me.

==============
Yes, the rules have changed a bit.
Very easy to arrange what is thought to be a legal shipment,
only to find it confiscated and destroyed for one of many different reasons.
No guarantees, you can lose it all before you even get to see it.
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Well just as long as all those crazy bugs and plant diseases don't get any bright ideas and think about crossing the 8800 km U.S./Canada border without their proper paperwork !!! lol

Sorry just trying add some levity :)
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EBAY has refused to reimburse me for the figs that the USDA confiscated. They have no refund policy relating to items (fraud, illegal items, USDA confiscation, etc ....) that exceed their stated time period to raise a claim. Just another reason to avoid importing fig cuttings.
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The seller from Madeira,Portugal has removed all his fig cuttings auctions from Ebay.   ??????????
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I sent him an email and informed him of the woes his buyers were facing here with USDA.
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