importing bulbs

importing bulbs
Lee Poulsen via pbs (Mon, 02 May 2022 13:42:25 PDT)

The main (and to me only important) point is that whether it’s 12 items or fewer and not needing a permit, or it’s 13 items ore more and therefore requires a permit, both require a phytosanitary certificate included with the plants or bulbs being shipped. The only plant item that can be imported without a “phyto” are seeds (in small lots).

So if the shipper cannot supply a phyto, then you can’t import plants or bulbs from that source no matter what. To me that is *the* big showstopper when it comes to importing dormant bulbs. Before the 9/11 attack, the USDA did not enforce the phyto requirement for dormant bulbs, and I imported bulbs from just about everywhere. But now that a phyto is required, it has become almost as difficult as the Australians have it. I can’t imagine how difficult it will now become for them just to get new seeds into the country, now that they have to get a phyto to do that.

I’m not sure why there is this drive to make it more and more difficult for the hobbyist to engage in their hobby compared to the large commercial importers.

--Lee Poulsen
Pasadena, California, USA - USDA Zone 10a
Latitude 34°N, Altitude 1150 ft/350 m

On May 2, 2022, at 11:11 AM, Robert Nold via pbs <pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> wrote:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you need an import permit for any plant

material. The discussion on the PBS List has been about the Small Lots of
Seed permit. The permit you require for bulbs and plants is a different
permit so it's best to go to the APHIS (USDA) website and check on importing
bulbs and plants.

Unless the bulbs are being imported for resale, an import permit is not
required, so long as a phytosanitary certificate provided by the exporter is
included in the shipment.

" Plants for planting which do not require an import permit:

Precleared bulbs of APHIS-approved taxa when from an approved preclearance
program
[Note: the above is for importers who buy bulbs from The Netherlands, etc.]
Shipments of 12 or fewer plants, only when there is no applicable specific
restriction (see Plants with Additional Requirements, Prohibited Plants, and
the APHIS Plants for Planting Manual.)
Most plants from Canada
Sterile cultures of orchid plants"

The APHIS website is kind of vague when it comes to the actual number of
bulbs (or "articles") allowed.

"Under the plants for planting quarantine (7 CFR 319 Subpart-Plants for
Planting), the following restricted articles (other than articles for food,
analytical, medicinal, or manufacturing purposes) in any of the following
categories may be imported or offered for importation into the United States
only after issuance of a written permit by Plant Protection and Quarantine:

Lots of 13 or more articles (other than seeds, bulbs, or sterile cultures of
orchid plants) from any country or locality except Canada"

Note also that bulbs like species and cultivars of galanthus also require a
CITES Appendix II export permit (provided by the exporter), in addition to
the phyto.

Bob Nold
Denver, Colorado

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