At the urging of Tony Palmer (of NZ <>, the editor of the International Bulb Society's _Bulbs_ magazine), I wrote again to the person at the USDA/APHIS/PPQ in charge of the currently implemented policy of enforcing the regulation requiring that all plant-related material including bulbs and seeds in any quantity have a phytosanitary certificate issued by the country it came from in order to import it into the U.S. This is the new policy that has been in force since January of last year. I asked him what the current status of the policy is and whether there had been any changes made in it due to all the complaints and criticism it had received, and he sent me the following response. It appears that they are going to relax it with regards to allowing small quantities of seeds to be imported without a phyto. certificate. --Lee Poulsen ========================= >>Dear Mr. Poulsen, >> >>The phytosanitary certificate requirement for imported plants and seeds is >>still required by Federal regulations. APHIS policy regarding the >>enforcement of that requirement has not changed. However, a proposed rule >>is being drafted within APHIS that addresses the issue of importing small >>quantities of seeds without a phytosanitary certificate. I will inform >>the staff responsible for that proposal of your interest in this issue and >>ask that they copy you on any Federal Register notices that may be >>published. >> >>Bud Petit de Mange >>CITES and Plant Inspection Station Coordinator >>USDA, APHIS, PPQ >[United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health >Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine] >>4700 River Road, Unit 60 >>Riverdale, MD 20737 >> >>Tel.: (301) 734-7839 >>Fax: (301) 734-5269