gtarman Posted December 18, 2013 Hey all. So I was just thinking...it seems like for many live plants that trying to jump through all the hoops to import them isn't really worth it, and that the fumigation and related treatments at quarantine make it quite likely the plant in question will die. I was wondering though...wouldn't cacti have a very high rate of survival? For example, if we wanted to import a cutting of a named US clone or vice versa...these things ain't easy to kill right? So there'd be a decent chance that it would make it through alive? Probably not something I'm personally in a position to be doing anyway, but I thought it would be interesting to find out Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Evil Genius Posted December 18, 2013 (edited) Hi gtarman. The actual Problem with importing live cacti isnt the quarantine treatments. Its the paperwork and the cost of doing it in a legal way. All live cacti are CITES Protected. Means you need a phytocertificate to import them. And there are VERY few nurseries who are certified to give you one. Also, you need to fill out Application forms for exporting the cactus from the country its being sent from and one for the import in Australia. Both Documents cost money as well as the phytocertificate. And then, Quarantine comes on Top of that. If you ask me, live plant import only makes sense for very large amounts from one dealer. And the cacti you might be interested in, you probably wont get from the few who are legally able to fill out phytocertificates. Edited December 18, 2013 by Evil Genius 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gtarman Posted December 18, 2013 *sighs and shakes fist at the bureaucracy* Oh well. Cheers Eg Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shortly Posted December 18, 2013 What EG said. Except that all hybrids & sports etc are outside of CITES they are considered to be man made & not occurring in nature. You would also may need to find someone with a registered private quarantine glasshouse, i'm not sure if it has come to pass yet but i know newman was pretty keen to sell off the DPI plant quarantine facilities at hamilton for redevelopment. Been ppl importing container loads of coluored gymnocalyciums & pachys for years. Trouble is its all geared toward large scale importing of only one or two lines. Not 3 each of a hundred different species. Even with only one or two lines the costs are VERY significant. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gtarman Posted December 18, 2013 (edited) *double sigh* *insufficient energy to shake fist* Edited December 18, 2013 by gtarman 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slice Posted December 18, 2013 Hi gtarman. The actual Problem with importing live cacti isnt the quarantine treatments. Its the paperwork and the cost of doing it in a legal way. All live cacti are CITES Protected. Means you need a phytocertificate to import them. And there are VERY few nurseries who are certified to give you one. Also, you need to fill out Application forms for exporting the cactus from the country its being sent from and one for the import in Australia. Both Documents cost money as well as the phytocertificate. And then, Quarantine comes on Top of that. If you ask me, live plant import only makes sense for very large amounts from one dealer. And the cacti you might be interested in, you probably wont get from the few who are legally able to fill out phytocertificates. I suppose this is universal procedure.I want to ship a couple of pups to the US from Europe, would that be stopped by US customs if not done "legally" ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EthnoGuy85 Posted December 18, 2013 It's all about odds slice. Sometimes things get past our customs and others unfortunately don't. I have plants coming from Thailand now. *fingers crossed* Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zelly Posted December 18, 2013 Theres much more to it than odds, Country of Origin can be a determining factor whether a package is inspected or not. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kykeion Posted December 18, 2013 (edited) Slice, I would say the odds are relatively in your favor, at least from my own experience. I have received live cacti from both Germany and the UK no problem, and if I recall there was even visible soil on the tape of one on the packages. I have also received plants form Thailand no problem. On the other hand I have had seeds from Aus nabbed by customs so it really is a crap shoot. I suspect it has to do with which customs office the package passes through here. ...What zelly said too, though the basis on which countries are inspected and those that are not escapes me. Edited December 18, 2013 by Kykeion Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slice Posted December 18, 2013 ok, thanks. but I shuld not declare "live cactus" right? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
2XB Posted December 19, 2013 Slightly off topic but what are peoples thoughts on sending seeds internationally. I have a contact in peru I would ask to send trich seeds if I knew they would arrive in australia safely. So being sent from peru I guess the package would be having close attention paid by customs..?? What are the potential outcomes??? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gtarman Posted December 19, 2013 (edited) ^^ seeds should be okay as long as the seeds you're buying are of a species that is on the "allowed" list of the ICON/DAFF database. And as long as they're packaged properly and contain no contaminants etc Edited December 19, 2013 by gtarman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Change Posted December 19, 2013 ^^ Has anyone ever been in trouble getting seeds from american members ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jox Posted December 19, 2013 Seeds get through easier but if they get picked up by customs & are on a CITES list (which a lot are) they will be past on to the right authorities to be destroyed, you will receive a letter & your details will be put on a "look closer at his/her packages from now on". This has happened to me before & it took many months to get my seeds & this only happened after I provided them with paper work proving that they had been purchased from a CITES approved nursery. Cheers Jox Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kykeion Posted December 19, 2013 Seeds get through easier but if they get picked up by customs & are on a CITES list (which a lot are) they will be past on to the right authorities to be destroyed, you will receive a letter & your details will be put on a "look closer at his/her packages from now on". This has happened to me before & it took many months to get my seeds & this only happened after I provided them with paper work proving that they had been purchased from a CITES approved nursery. Cheers Jox Gotta love that reasoning... To protect sensitive/endangered species (from being wild harvested and thus eventually driven to extinction in the wild) we will create an international list/agreement regarding species whose trade is to be regulated. If you jump through the hoops and prove a specimen or seeds were produced in accordance with the law (ie not directly from a wild population/from an approved nursery) you are good to go. However if you can not prove your seeds came from a non-wild source, they will be destroyed. We must destroy them to protect them! Not meant to knock the intent of the law, which appears to function relatively well. Just pointing out a frustrating instance of bureaucracy trumping logic. I'll admit I don't have a better solution for what to do with said "contraband," I just fail to see how destroying seed from a threatened species protects that species. Anyway, sorry for the rant, I'll step down now Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trucha Posted December 19, 2013 I managed to get a monstrose bridgesii into Serbia by writing a statement that it was a horticultural mutant which was unknown in nature and therefore was not subject to CITES restrictions. No guarantees this will always work but Customs opened, inspected and approved the plant for delivery. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Caudata Posted December 20, 2013 (edited) Im planning on bringing some trich cuttings back to the us from peru in a few months. I know slice had some luck, but that was to europe. I suppose i can just hope that they dont search my luggage.. Edited December 20, 2013 by Ohlone Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hostilis Posted December 20, 2013 They x-ray the luggage. If it's just in your suit case they'll probably see it when they do that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
solaritea Posted December 20, 2013 I got a few trich cuttings in my checked luggage into San Francisco, California from Chile with no problems. We were waved right past customs on our very early morning arrival. I was given a form on the plane just before arrival. There was a yes/no check box asking if I had any plants, fruits, vegetables, etc. I marked yes since I didn't want to lie. During customs prescreening, I was asked why I marked yes. I told them I had some granola bars with dried fruit in them. Then I was waved through without any further checking. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hostilis Posted December 20, 2013 Yeah, I'm also not thinking about the fact that not everyone can instantly recognize the shape of a cacti cutting like most of us can. Maybe they wouldn't think anything of it, but I would think they'd be curious if they see a big round log looking thing on the screen when it passes through the xray. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
