Seed Irradiation update

Hi Listpeoples.....My Sister sent me this info and I thought I'd share it with the list.....Glenn A
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Below is an email being circulated by the American Seed Trade Association.
It outlines the current Postal Service efforts.
  TO:             ASTA Representatives
FROM:   Drew Kinder, President
SUBJECT:        Update on Irradiation Policies of the U.S. Postal Service The American Seed Trade Association met with representatives of the U.S.
Postal Service on January 7 to discuss seed industry concerns.  ASTA has
been following the procedures and policies by the U.S. government to combat
bio-terrorism in the mail.  Many ASTA members have been in direct contact
with Association staff to discuss possible outcomes and their effect on
members who routinely ship seeds through the mail for testing and commerce. The purpose of the meeting was to listen and learn from the U.S. Postal
Service on the status of mail sanitization efforts and to answer our
specific questions related to how seeds we ship will be safeguarded.  I am
pleased to report that the meeting was positive and the following points can
be shared with ASTA members. ·       Only mail which has been or will be irradiated is the mail that was
in the Postal Service's Brentwood and Trenton facilities at the     time
they were closed.
·       Current mail addressed to zip codes 202xx  205xx in Washington, DC
is being irradiated.  (Examples would include the zip codes  for the U.S.
House of Representatives which is 20515, the U.S. Senate at 20510, the White
House at 20500, and the U.S.  Department of Agriculture at 20250.)
·       Irradiation of letters from Brentwood and Trenton has been completed
in facilities in Lima, Ohio and Bridgeport, New Jersey.
·       Mail that has been irradiated is placed in a plastic bag and an
accompanying letter advising the recipient of irradiation is included.
·       There are no new current plans to irradiate any other mail, unless a
new anthrax contamination (or other bio-terrorism) is discovered. Accordingly, for ASTA members, it is business as usual.  There are, however,
some recommendations for mailpiece design that we can pass along to you.
They include: ·       Use safety seals and tamper-proof envelopes.
·       Use transparent envelopes.
·       Use closed window envelope rather than open window envelopes.
·       Use a postmark or indicia that matches the city and state of the
return address.
·       Use a full return address and recognizable company logo.
·       Discontinue using "handwritten" addresses.
·       Include a toll-free number and web site on the outside of the
mailpiece.
·       Use indicia or metered postage instead of live postage stamps.
·       Assess use of premiums such as pens and magnets, which make
mailpieces lumpy and misshapen. Finally, ASTA is pleased to announce that we have joined the Mailers'
Technical Advisory Committee, a group comprised of trade associations
organized to assess, monitor and develop policies with the U.S. Postal
Service that take into account unique concerns and experience.  As a member,
ASTA will be permitted to appoint two representatives to participate in the
discussions.  Meetings are held quarterly and members electing to
participate by phone are encouraged to do so. Hopefully, this correspondence will alleviate much of the concern and
apprehension by members and customers.  ASTA will continue to follow this
issue closely and will keep members updated as events warrant.  Should
policies change and the campaign to combat
bio-terrorism require additional testing or procedures, ASTA will be
advised.  At that point, we will exercise every option and opportunity to
meet with and work along side members of the U.S. Postal Service and the
Office of Homeland Security to discuss options and ways to collaborate and
cooperate. Please feel free to share this information with colleagues and customers.
 
 
 
 

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