June 29, 2020
11
Sending Plants Stateside is Complex, Often Costly By US Army Customs Agency - Europe
M
any people get attached to their plants while stationed in Europe and want to mail or hand carry them back to the U.S. from overseas. Unfortunately, some plants are outright prohibited from entering the U.S. Most others will have restrictions that are often very difficult to comply with and may be costly to fulfill. Arrangements with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to send or take plants to the U.S. must be made well in advance. The USDA regulates plants to ensure that foreign plant pests and diseases do not enter the U.S. Most restricted plants will need a permit from the USDA that will stipulate certain requirements such as treatments or fumigations. Phytosanitary Certificates from the government of the country where the plant was grown are also required for plants intended for planting. These may be hard to get because the government officials who issue them may be few in number and may not be close to where you live. Also, there may be a charge for
these certificates. Additional declarations on the Phytosanitary Certificate may be required to verify certain things such as if the plant was grown in a certain pest or disease-free area or that the plant is free of certain pests and diseases based on an official inspection. Only the government officials in that country are authorized to make these declarations and issue the certificates. There are also size and age limitations that apply to most plants being brought into the U.S. Many plants cannot be more than two years old and 18 inches high from the soil line. Further, no soil or growing medWia can be sent to the U.S. Only an approved, not previously used, packing media may surround plants going back, and the plants cannot be rooted as inspectors in the U.S. must see the roots. The most commonly used packing materials include ground peat, sphagnum moss, perlite, pulp-free coconut or other vegetable fibers (excluding sugarcane and cotton), osmunda fiber, excelsior, wood or
cork shavings, sawdust, rock wool, ground cork, buckwheat hulls, polymer stabilized cellulose and exfoliated vermiculite. These restrictions still apply even if the plant originally came from the U.S. Once a plant crosses the U.S. border, it is susceptible to foreign pests and diseases, and so will be treated as a foreign plant. As you can see, there are many requirements for sending or taking a plant to the United States. Even if all these requirements can be met, the plant making entry into the U.S. is subject to inspection by CBP or USDA personnel for final disposition. As always, whether hand carrying or mailing plants or other agricultural items to the U.S., you must declare them on the appropriate CBP declaration form. You may be subject to fines if you fail to do so. For further information about mailing or hand carrying plants or other agricultural items, consult the USDA website at www. aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/permits/ plantproducts.shtml or contact your nearest military customs office.
"Italian News" cont’d from Page 8
keep in mind some tips suggested by all the Italian Consumer Associations to avoid rip-offs and disputes with merchants that would be difficult to handle if you don’t speak Italian. Officials also warn against unscrupulous retailers might try to sell shopworn or damaged items as “promotional sales” just to reduce the quantity of merchandise in stock. Here are some tips to survive the sales season: 1) First, do not trust discounts higher than 50 per cent from the initial price. A “sensational” 80 or 90 per cent discount might sound like a tempting offer, but it is probably a rip-off. 2) Remember that, during the discount season, defective merchandise may be exchanged or returned as usual. There is no “special return policy” when you shop at sales. Therefore, always keep your “scontrino” or receipt and distrust the shops that display signs saying: “la merce venduta non si cambia,” (purchased merchandise cannot be exchanged) or “all sales are final.” You have the right to change any defective fabric or shoe that is not up to sample within two months. Retailers can
either refund you or give you a coupon that should be spent in the same shop. 3) Be sure to look an item over carefully before you buy it. Check different shops to compare prices. If you have previously visited a store, you might be able to evaluate if a product was over-priced and then marked down. As a general rule, if you have just arrived in Sicily and have not been around a lot, it may be easier to shop at big department stores, where sales are usually fair. 4) Stores must display on the tags the initial “prezzo” (price) and the reduced price, both in ciphers and in percentage. 5) Finally, remember that you can use any method of payment. Mistrust shop owners displaying signs saying “non si accettano carte di credito e bancomat” (credit cards and ATM cards are not accepted) because of the sales season. That’s illegal. If you don’t see any signs around, and the sales clerk tells you about it upon paying, tell them you know they are supposed to accept your credit card or ATM card.
