Border patrol took my plants
- Thread starter fishieman
- Start date
Perhaps you shouldn't start things you have no stomach for? Does this strike you as sound advice?
I posted my well-wishes and you then commented on it without anyone asking. It's not so much that I don't have the stomach to argue, more so that I don't want to get in trouble again. Also, if you PM me to continue this, I will contact a moderator.
After all of the invasive species that are causing problems globally, I think that customs agents have the right idea of destroying your plants. You might never release an exotic species but what about after you propagate it and sell it to someone else? Nice looking species tend to get around.
USDA-APHIS regulates plants -- U.S. Fish & Game regulates importation of fish & animal importation. A separation that still baffles me as to why? It means that both agencies have to fund inspectors at the borders and create and enforce different regulations.
BTW you are now on a watch list of known attempted smugglers. Any shipment that goes to your address will automatically be flagged to be inspected if shipped from outside of the U.S.
They generally let you get away with a warning it once or twice... Third time however, I've heard of them prosecuting for violating federal laws. Fines and possible jail time.
Consider this the USDA-APHIS friendly way of letting you know you need to import things properly. In the past three years there have been major revisions and increased enforcement of international Phytosanitary laws. I've seen some countries change the regulations 3-4 times per year...
So be a good little doggy and jump through the bureaucratic hoops and you may get your plants next time.
USDA-APHIS regulates plants -- U.S. Fish & Game regulates importation of fish & animal importation. A separation that still baffles me as to why? It means that both agencies have to fund inspectors at the borders and create and enforce different regulations.
BTW you are now on a watch list of known attempted smugglers. Any shipment that goes to your address will automatically be flagged to be inspected if shipped from outside of the U.S.
They generally let you get away with a warning it once or twice... Third time however, I've heard of them prosecuting for violating federal laws. Fines and possible jail time.
Consider this the USDA-APHIS friendly way of letting you know you need to import things properly. In the past three years there have been major revisions and increased enforcement of international Phytosanitary laws. I've seen some countries change the regulations 3-4 times per year...
So be a good little doggy and jump through the bureaucratic hoops and you may get your plants next time.
^^ +1 I also think these laws exist for an important reason beyond collecting permit fees and hasslin' the citizenry.
The regulatory split is due to differing laws for plants vs. animals, and the agencies have specific mandates for enforcement of particular laws. For example, USDA-APHIS is primarily concerned with protecting our agriculture industry from extremely harmful insect and plant pests, preventing new invasives from entering, and controlling known infestations. In other words, they are trying to control costs to gov't and private business that occur due to invasive species (literally billions of dollars each year). US Fish and Wildlife Service has several areas of focus but their primary focus is the federal endangered species act (FESA), which primarily protects wildlife since endangered plants do not have the same protections as endangered wildlife. Release of predatory or invasive fish can quite easily affect endangered native fish, so it is a FESA issue to them. The staff also tend to have different expertise. Customs is the single "screen" that initially handles all imports, and they elevate specific issues to specific agencies as per the varying mandates. I don't know if this is the most efficient system but it relates to more than just animal vs. plant imports.
The regulatory split is due to differing laws for plants vs. animals, and the agencies have specific mandates for enforcement of particular laws. For example, USDA-APHIS is primarily concerned with protecting our agriculture industry from extremely harmful insect and plant pests, preventing new invasives from entering, and controlling known infestations. In other words, they are trying to control costs to gov't and private business that occur due to invasive species (literally billions of dollars each year). US Fish and Wildlife Service has several areas of focus but their primary focus is the federal endangered species act (FESA), which primarily protects wildlife since endangered plants do not have the same protections as endangered wildlife. Release of predatory or invasive fish can quite easily affect endangered native fish, so it is a FESA issue to them. The staff also tend to have different expertise. Customs is the single "screen" that initially handles all imports, and they elevate specific issues to specific agencies as per the varying mandates. I don't know if this is the most efficient system but it relates to more than just animal vs. plant imports.
That's a shame! But I understand the need for someone to be watching out for invasive plants. There are all kinds of plants/pests that have made it to other countries that have caused all sorts of problems. You shouldn't expect to get your money back, just call it a lesson learned, hopefully you didn't lose too much. And that was a good point about Big Brother watching you now, you smuggler you. :evil_lol:
A simple lesson is to look at Florida. Don't want to go that far? OK, look at the Mississippi River and tributaries with the battle of the Asian Carp. Complete ecosystems are being lost to this prolific fish. They affect not only other fish but also flora and fauna indigenous to the US waterways. With much of the finger-pointing at the pet trade business, it isn't the only culprit, just the most visible.
