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Do you get emails from overseas GW members?
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Posted by carol_af Qld (My Page) on Tue, Jan 31, 06 at 0:43
| I am finding that I am getting the occasional email from a GW Member offering and asking for seeds. Nothing is given but their email address which ends in .net, etc, not indicating their country of origin. These emails tend not to be the usual "open" communication received from GW Australia members. Some have not been in reply to a posting on GW.au by me, but a straightforward request for seeds, probably from searching GW member pages.
Being the thorough sort of person I am, I do a search on GW for their email address or user name, which reveals them to reside overseas.
When replying I firstly ask if they are aware that I am in Australia. After all, it could be an honest mistake on their part and I always like to think the better of people.
I then explain Australian Quarantine laws and international mail, as well as doing a search on the AQUIS site for import regulations for the other country (I can give you the link if you would like it) and attach the page to the email. This page usually outlines import permits and phytosanitary certificates required.
I then apologetically decline their offer, while agreeing to send them the requested seeds provided they comply with their countries import regulations, (providing proof thereof, or suffering the consequences as I warn that I will clearly mark the customs declaration on the envelope as containing seeds). I've also gone to the trouble of providing details of how to purchase international reply paid coupons to send to cover international postage costs (if SSAE was suggested). I figure that if someone genuinely wants to import seeds from overseas they will follow the prescribed regulations. I usually never hear from them again!
What's your experience?
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Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Do you get emails from overseas GW members?
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I have had this happen a few times, when I actually advertised seeds on the exchange here. O/S members cannot post to our exchange, but a few have tried to bypass that by asking individual members if they will trade seed.
If you send seed to the US it will quite likely get to the person it is addressed to without intervention, BUT it is against their current quarantine laws, so the answer should be NO everytime. Like you, once I ask about their seed import laws I get no reply.
It is often people looking for Aus. native plant seeds.
Cheers, Jan |
RE: Do you get emails from overseas GW members?
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| I have e-mails from Ireland but not wanting seeds, this lady wrote and asked me about weather, and different things as her son was going to come to australia to do some kind of Uni course and did not know what State was the best. They had seen my pics on the Gallery, frogs, lizards birds so asked for more pics then the son started writing to me this went on for about two weeks writing back and forth, then I never heard from them both again. Good way to get info about Oz I suppose, but I felt the way they cut off was a bit rough. I dont know if I will waste so much time if anyone writes to me again....Cheers..MM. |
RE: Do you get emails from overseas GW members?
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I have had a few enquiries as well. About 3 years ago I had an enquiry from Indonesia wanting Avocado seeds. He wanted to start a avo farm and was looking for stock, or so the story goes.
He asked if I would like to visit Indonesia and bring the seeds with me and for my effort he would introduce me to some Mercedes car dealership for a "good deal". YEAH! FOR SURE. I will be over in a flash. Carol, I think most of these people are dealers looking for cheap stock at your risk. I have one basic rule with emails.
If I don't recognise the sender the email is blocked and bounced back unopened via my email washer with NO exceptions. As far as I am concerned there is no email so important I must open it. This way I don't get the trojans and viruses either. Doug. |
RE: Do you get emails from overseas GW members?
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| I've sent seeds and cuttings overseas on the understanding that the recipient takes responsibility for their own import laws. I think aquis is only concerned with what comes in - customs may get involved if you send rare or endangered or patented plants material overseas. |
RE: Do you get emails from overseas GW members?
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| But if you looked up my area it would give a USA state because that was the only way I could get back onto this site. I should edit my site. |
RE: Do you get emails from overseas GW members?
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| *quote*I've sent seeds and cuttings overseas on the understanding that the recipient takes responsibility for their own import laws.* No understanding will save you from prosecution by customs if they decide to make a crackdown - both Exporter/importer will be held responsible. The laws are there for a reason mainly to stop pests from being imported - not just plant pests but insects or diseases. Fireants have been introduced to this country, they hitched a ride in a potted plant. So far we are lucky not to have many of the livestock diseases that other countries suffer from. Who knows what sort of diseases our plants carry that might not affect us so much but may run rampant in another country. So many imported plants have taken over our native bushland and not just by accident either, gorgeous native forests are cleared and replaced by pine forests. Native animals are threatened by the import of exotic animals - take the cane toad for instance. It's not just cats and dogs. |
RE: Do you get emails from overseas GW members?
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| I attempted to send some Correa reflexa and Alyogyne huegelli cuttings from MY GARDEN to the US and they were stopped in Australia by customs. I had a discussion with them and they said that I could have sent cultivars of both species w/o any problems at the Aussie end. (Small amounts of native seeds were not a problem either) I suspect US customs might have stopped them though. |
RE: Do you get emails from overseas GW members?
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| Cheryl, Fireants were not introduced to Aust. in a potted plant. They came in a shipping container. They can be transported in potted plants but they did not arrive in this country in a plant. I dont disagree with your comments but would not like to see gardeners blamed for the importation of fireants as this is not the case. |
RE: Do you get emails from overseas GW members?
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| yes plantsplus, they will be wanting to blame gardeners as they have done in the past, most invasive species are here due to slack quarantine and scientific scrutinies. but if they get to blem the lowest common denominator us gardeners then the finger is pointed away from the real culprits. fire ants came over in shipping containers, that is why their spread mostly starts from where the containers first landed, or where unloaded. and this you will find because our checkers weren't on the ball. likie they are pointing the finger at cane farmers because of the cane toad fiasco, not at the brains trusts who gave the use of them the ok. len |
Here is a link that might be useful: lens garden page
RE: Do you get emails from overseas GW members?
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| In the interest of Australian flora and fauna (and particularly now that the late great Steven Urwin is now not here to beat the drum) we should not encourage any "seed/plant swapping" with any other amatuer gardeners other than those who reside in Oz. Let's protect our gardens! How did we get the rust disease on frangipani and the daylilly disease in our Australian gardens? I wonder! |
RE: Do you get emails from overseas GW members?
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It is my understanding that the daylily rust was brought in by the nursery trade, in a situation where quarantine was (inadvertently or otherwise) not exercised properly.
Bringing seeds in is more of a worry if the seed is a weed species, or if the seed itself is dirty - contaminated by bacterial or insect pests. There are very few diseases that will be brought in with clean seed. Importing plants is a much higher disease risk.
I agree though, that we should not encourage those people who might be trying to avoid the normal, legal methods of plant importation.... just because they want a particular plant.
Re importing stuff in containers - we bought slate in castlemaine, that had been imported from india. The crates are supposed to be inspected before leaving india, but the crate previous to ours contained live lizards (hitchhikers) and when we finally got our slate, there was a dirty knife in the crate all the way from india. They are truly slack, and it is amazing that we don't have far more problems that we do. |
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