Phytosanitary Certificate Alert
- Subject: Phytosanitary Certificate Alert
- From: L* P*
- Date: Tue, 4 Dec 2001 11:15:00 -0800
I just received the following news item. It was my understanding that
seeds and clean dry bulbs sent to the U.S. did not require a
phytosanitary certificate. Does this mean that even if we receive
small quantities of seed of any kind in trade (or collected while
travelling abroad and brought back in our luggage), we have to have a
phyto. cert. each and every time? It seems I've heard that in some
countries a phyto. cert. is quite expensive, and a visit has to be
scheduled, etc. Does this mean we have to pay additional any time we
order seed in any quantity from overseas? It seems that pretty soon
only the big commercial outfits that import in great quantities will
be the only ones who get to bring in plants/seeds/bulbs from outside
the U.S., unless we're willing to spend a lot more money. Am I
blowing this out of proportion? Or are amateurs going to have to set
up something like a seed importing co-operative? This is going to
make it so much more difficult for individuals to obtain new,
interesting, or rare plants.
--Lee Poulsen
Pasadena area, California, USDA Zone 9-10
Phytosanitary Certificate Alert
In the Federal Register for July 23, 2001, the U.S. Plant and
Animal Health Inspection Service announced that it plans "to
begin consistently and routinely enforcing an existing requirement
that a phytosanitary certificate of inspection accompany
restricted articles, other than certain greenhouse-grown plants
from Canada, that are offered for importation into the United
States under our foreign quarantine regulations for nursery
stock, plants, roots, bulbs, seeds, and other plant products. While
the regulations provide that a phytosanitary certificate must
accompany such items, this provision has not been consistently
enforced with regard to all shipments of restricted articles
arriving at U.S. ports of entry.... This action is necessary to
more effectively mitigate the risk of introduction of foreign
plant pests associated with the importation of these commodities
into the United States."
The consistent and routine enforcement is scheduled to begin
on January 22, 2002 (delayed from September 21, 2001, in
response to requests by "affected parties" for added time to prepare
for the change). Both professional and amateur growers
who import (even small quantities of) plants must be sure that
the plants are accompanied by legal certificates to prevent their
destruction at entry ports. Here is additional information from
the Federal Register notice (to learn more, contact James Petit
de Mange, CITES and Plant Inspection Station Coordinator, Port
Operations, Plant Protection and Quarantine, APHIS, 4700 River
Rd., Unit 60, Riverdale, MD 20737-1236, phone 301-734-8295):
"The regulations in 7 CFR part 319 prohibit or restrict the
importation into the United States of certain plants and
plant products to prevent the introduction of plant pests
into the United States. The regulations contained in "Subpart
Nursery Stock, Plants, Roots, Bulbs, Seeds, and Other
Plant Products," Secs. 319.37 through 319.37-14 (referred
to below as the regulations), prohibit or restrict, among
other things, the importation of living plants, plant parts,
and seeds for propagation.
"Nursery stock, plants, and other propagative plant material
that cannot be feasibly inspected, tested, or handled to
prevent them from introducing plant pests new to or not
known to be widely prevalent in or distributed within and
throughout the United States are listed in the regulations
as prohibited articles. Prohibited articles may not be imported
into the United States, unless imported by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture for experimental or scientific
purposes under specified safeguards.
"Nursery stock, plants, and other propagative plant material
that can be inspected, treated, or handled to prevent
them from spreading plant pests are listed in the regulations
as restricted articles. Restricted articles may be imported
into the United States if they are imported in compliance
with conditions that may include permit and phytosanitary
certificate requirements, inspection, treatment,
or postentry quarantine.
"Paragraph (a) of Sec. 319.37-4 of the regulations requires
that any restricted article offered for importation into the
United States, other than certain greenhouse-grown plants
from Canada, be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate
of inspection ... Section 319.37-1 of the regulations
defines a phytosanitary certificate as a document relating
to a restricted article, which is issued by a plant protection
official of the country in which the restricted article was
grown, which is issued not more than 15 days prior to
shipment of the restricted article from the country in which
grown, which is addressed to the plant protection service
of the United States ..., which contains a description of the
restricted article intended to be imported into the United
States, which certifies that the article has been thoroughly
inspected, is believed to be free from injurious plant diseases,
injurious insect pests, and other plant pests, and is
otherwise believed to be eligible for importation pursuant
to the current phytosanitary laws and regulations of the
United States, and which contains any specific additional
declarations required under the regulations....
"To date, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
(APHIS) has not consistently and routinely enforced the
phytosanitary certificate requirement in Sec. 319.37-4 in all
instances involving the importation of restricted articles
under the regulations. Until now, our policy has been not
to reject a shipment based solely on the lack of a phytosanitary
certificate. We have enforced the requirement that
a phytosanitary certificate accompany shipments of restricted
articles in those situations where our regulations
require that the phytosanitary certificate include an additional
declaration, proof of treatment, or both. In other cases,
our policy has provided APHIS inspectors the latitude to
allow entry of the shipment, even though it is not accompanied
by a phytosanitary certificate.... We have decided
that it is necessary for us to enforce the phytosanitary certificate
requirement ... on a consistent, mandatory basis ..."
