USDA TO ENFORCE LIVE PLANT SHIPMENT RULES AT CANADIAN BORDER    The U

USDA TO ENFORCE LIVE PLANT SHIPMENT RULES AT CANADIAN BORDER
   The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said it will enforcing regulations that pertain to the import, export and re-export of plants listed as endangered species, starting Aug. 1.
   The agency is concerned about reports that shipments of endangered plants are crossing into the United States from Canada without the proper Plant Protection and Quarantine permit (PPQ form 622). Permits are required for U.S.-based importers and exporters of endangered plants and costs $70 every two years.
   Endangered plants may be shipped through the ports of Blaine, Wash.; Detroit and Port Huron, Mich.; and Buffalo and Rouses Point, N.Y. Some plants that are included in the regulations are orchids, cacti and ginseng.
   Although the permit has been required since 1985, it’s been widely ignored by the shipping industry.
   It’s recommended that Canadian exporters obtain copies of their U.S. customers’ permits so copies can accompany plant shipments regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and be presented to USDA inspectors at the border. Carriers are encouraged to stop at Canada Customs to have the CITES documents validated before entering the United States.
   The USDA permit is required in addition to the Fish and Wildlife Service permits and forms that are also needed to import and export plants