Imports to USA from Scotland and other parts of the EU
Lee Poulsen (Wed, 06 Feb 2008 11:56:25 PST)
Wow, Iain, what an offer! I have both a small lots seed import permit
and a regular plant import permit. The single most difficult thing to
obtain when wanting to get a plant (and now bulbs) from overseas, is a
phytosanitary certificate. Because that is really all that is required
to accompany a plant or bulb that is being imported to the U.S. from
overseas. The plant import permit is issued to anyone residing in the
U.S. for free and lasts 5 years before needing renewal (also free). I
live relatively near one of the main import inspection stations (which
is near the Los Angeles Airport) so I don't have to deal much with the
problem of getting the plants from the inspection station to my home.
But the phytosanitary certificate problem has always been the primary
and serious obstacle to importing plants and now bulbs from overseas, in
my experience. It seems, and my experience has been, that our APHIS
inspectors here, don't much care what gets imported, as long as it isn't
on the forbidden list and is observationally disease- and pest-free. And
it is accompanied by a phyto. They then will very nearly immediately
release it as soon as they inspect it. I've never had anything
quarantined. They seem to put great stock in that phyto piece of paper.
What are your feelings about having things from outside the UK sent to
you (that the UK allows to be imported, such as from other EU countries)
and then sent from you to here with the phyto issued in the UK? The
agent I've dealt with only seem to care that a phyto be included in the
package no matter who did the inspection before arriving in the U.S.
I hope you don't get swamped.
--Lee Poulsen
Pasadena, California, USDA Zone 10a
Iain Brodie of Falsyde wrote:
Folks I don't know if this is of any interest or use to members on this forum but
perhaps it might be worth scoping amongst yourselves.
Now I am not inviting a veritable stampede but if there are really special material needed by folks
who are unable to secure them in north America then we can coordinate in a way that allows me to
do things in batches and by that means keep costs down by way of shipping PHYTO certificates,
etc there are some possibilities here to be of help.
Thinking out loud with the caveat that the system would need to be checked as feasible, which I am
sure it is, then e.g. if for instance three people had sourced plants in either this country and or England,
did the required deals to pay direct to the suppliers, these could be sent here in the first instance at a
roughly similar date. I would prepare them for inspect and hopefully the issuing of a Phyto certificate
and thereafter pack them as USDA requires, send them down to either Edinburgh or Glasgow by
courier and then flown over to those buying them. I have three caveats of my own, [a] I don't want paid
for my efforts, and [b] don't want to incur any lost costs......... I am Scots after all, and [c] this would
be subject to the quarantine facilities, not very big. not being locked up into things coming in to us here.
Just thoughts from the desk of Iain as I know e.g how hard I have had to hassle to secure two of this and
two of that, etc in the Lily, Iris and Paeone world.
Have a chat amongst yourselves, if of no interest no harm done and no offence taken.
Iain
Iain Brodie of Falsyde
Auchgourish Botanic Garden & Arboretum
auchgourishbotgard@falsyde.sol.co.uk