Oh, I am so sorry! That really bites! You ordered seeds from the UK, is that right?

And I was wrong, and you were right on the amount of time to get APHI paperwork. I sent more Aphis paperwork in to get seeds from the UK, The Netherlands, Japan, South Africa -- pretty much any country I could think of LOL! It took a month? I just got it yesterday and I applied when I read your last message, whenever that was, so it was way longer than it was before for me.

I think we need to put some pressure on our elected officials to get this straightened out better. You could start by just filling out the online form for your senators & representative and just briefly tell them what happened. The squeaky wheel does get the oil!

So sorry!!!

Oh, Last month I got 4 packs of seed from South Africa. They were sent by a trader and were sent in a regular bubble envie. They appeared to go right through. (Long story on why no paper work, but she appeared to be DYING for something I had in abundance, so I sent them, but then she wasn't happy until she sent me somehting back.) And it came right through. Why some and not others?

Lime

What a waste! And how unfortunate. Thanks for being the canary in the coal mine, though, and telling us.

I wonder if seeds sent under the radar, so to speak, via private trades, are more likely to escape notice.

Last time I left the country, I met several round-the-world travelers who said they were refusing to come to the U.S. because of the restrictive rules, ie fingerprinting of all non-nationals. I guess it's even worse for plants.

I don't think it's just the US these days. My neighbors brother had to be delayed, finger printed when returning to Japan earlier this month and he's lived there with his family, teaching and translating textbooks for 15 years.

I've got an order coming from Australia next month, I hope. Someone told me the hardest month for losing seeds to customs is December, somehow the month with the largest surge of mail in general.

I'd intended to place a Chilterns order too....Lindalana, can you tell me if this was a UK order, or an order from a company you've dealt with before?

Seed company is in UK and they are nice as always, they took responsibility for faulty paperwork and will be resending it again so hopefully things will work out better this time.
I am very pleased to say that people from plant permit organization seems to be concerned and helpful, responded to my email with detailed explanations.
Still I really would like to raise awareness that seeds have nothing to do with people's squabbles over power. Maybe more of us could voice our opinion and change present very cumbersome policies.

Oh, no!

I'm happy to read that it seems to be faulty paperwork, and the company will resend. Hopefully it will work this time. But to think of all the hoops you had to jump through, and then to have the seeds destroyed!

Are they concerned about a soilborne illness traveling with the seeds? That seems pretty unlikely, but I know that England's had massive cattle kill-offs due to mad cow disease etc..