I feel so sorry for you Americans, I definitely think some sort of combined front to the Quarantine department is called for! Good luck! Angela ----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard" <xerics@cox.net> To: "Pacific Bulb Society" <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2007 11:58 AM Subject: Re: [pbs] Seed imports to U.S. > Don't send them stamps. I did that last year and the envelope with the > stamps and instructions was mysteriously empty. > > I had to open a fed ex account. All together this is a completely > unworkable system. Pretty much the way everything at the USDA is done. I > don't have enough millions to influence anyone but I think we should start > a > campaign among our public representatives to address these problems. > > The Plant Inspection people claim to have been working on this since I > first > complained last summer. > > Richard Wagner > Vista > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Lee Poulsen" <wpoulsen@pacbell.net> > To: "PBS Society" <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> > Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2007 5:03 PM > Subject: [pbs] Seed imports to U.S. > > >>I just a phone call from USDA/APHIS down the street from the L.A. >> Airport informing me that a package of seeds had arrived from Rachel >> Saunders in South Africa, and that I could either take time off from >> work to fight traffic and drive over there and pick it up in person. Or >> I could open an account with Federal Express and then give them my >> account number that they could charge to and they could ship it across >> town via FedEx. Or I could mail them actual postage stamps of >> sufficient value ($1.35) for the weight of the package to have the US >> Postal Service deliver it to my home. The guy I spoke with says he has >> called several superiors of his several times since this new method was >> begun seeking instruction on what exactly to do. He also acknowledged >> that the USDA and the USPS are having an argument over whether the USPS >> has to continue shipment or if they can charge full postage rates >> depending on what the final destination that the package was addressed >> to is. (The permit says the shipper should not put our address on the >> outside of the package, but when the Archibalds put both the green and >> yellow label and my address on the outside of the package it was >> delivered all the way to my house. I couldn't tell if USDA/APHIS had >> opened it for inspection or not.) >> >> What this guy did say was that I could not send them money in any form >> nor could they take a credit card number. I talked over various crazy >> ideas with their dispatcher and she said that the program was so new >> they hadn't really thought up any long term plans or solutions. I asked >> her about sending her a supply of postage stamps that she could save >> and use until they were all used up. She thought she could probably >> keep them in a file for all packages I received and notify me when the >> supply was gone. She suggested the idea that I send the postage stamps >> along with the copy of my permit and the green and yellow label to the >> overseas sender and then that person could include the postage stamps >> inside the package together with the seeds. This of course would >> require that I know how much the package was going to weigh beforehand, >> or at least have an estimate of it. >> >> In any case, it is an added complication that I wish they had figured >> out back when they were figuring out this new method of seed importing. >> Question: In Australia, after they've checked over your incoming seed, >> do you have to go pick them up at the inspection station? Or are you >> required to send them or provide them with the means or money to ship >> them from the station to your home? Or do they just put them back in >> the mail and your postal service delivers them to the final destination >> without any additional charges? It would be somewhat ironic if they >> don't charge you for that service since they do charge you for just >> about everything else including many services that we in the U.S. don't >> have to pay for, and yet here in the U.S. they do want to charge >> additional for delivering the seeds the final leg of their journey. (I >> also found out that if I need to get a phytosanitary certificate to >> mail plants overseas, for about US$40 total the inspector will drive >> over to my house, inspect all the plants I want to send, make out the >> certificate, and give it to me. I believe that is cheaper than what the >> Australians have to pay.) Anyway, just wondering. >> >> --Lee Poulsen >> Pasadena, California, USDA Zone 10a >> >> _______________________________________________ >> pbs mailing list >> pbs@lists.ibiblio.org >> http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php >