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Agriculture / Plant Industries / Arkansas Department of Agriculture Collecting Unsolicited Seeds for USDA Testing
Arkansas Department of Agriculture Collecting Unsolicited Seeds for USDA Testing
The Arkansas Department of Agriculture has received multiple reports that private citizens in Arkansas have received unsolicited packages containing seeds that appear to have originated from China. The types of seeds in the packages are varied. The packages were sent by mail and may have Chinese writing on them.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) and the Arkansas Department of Agriculture (Department) are asking Arkansans who have received these unsolicited packages not to open, plant, or throw the seeds away. The Department encourages anyone who has received unsolicited seeds in the mail to place the unopened seed packet in a sealed bag and report the package via the Unsolicited Seed Reporting Form.
Once the contact information is received, the Department will arrange to have the seeds picked up by a Department employee. The Department will transfer the seeds to the USDA for identification and/or destruction.
Those who have planted the seeds should leave the plants where they are and contact the Department for guidance.
The USDA-APHIS does not have any evidence that this is something other than a “brushing scam” where sellers send unsolicited items to unsuspecting consumers and then post false reviews to boost sales. Based on preliminary analysis of seed samples, the seed packets appear to be a mix of horticultural and weed species.
The interception of unidentified seeds in international mail shipments is not uncommon. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) estimates that there were 15,000 interceptions of seeds from all sources worldwide, and 5,000 from China and Hong Kong in 2019.
The Department reminds consumers that online purchases of plants, seeds, and other plant products may pose risks due to the possibility that these items may contain a range of invasive pests and diseases. These purchases can also be illegal without proper inspections and paperwork, such as permits or plant health certificates. Before buying seeds or plants online from international vendors, Arkansans should contact the Department’s Plant Industry Division at 501-225-1598 to ask if the items need to be inspected or meet other conditions to bring them into the United States legally and without pests.
USDA Radio Interview with PPQ Deputy Administrator Osama El Lissy