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The Ministry of Agriculture has warned that no postal packages of seeds have been requested from Asian countries, requesting that these they are not sown or thrown away, but sent to agricultural addresses.
“The Ministry of Agriculture warns of the sending, by mail, of small packages of seeds, unsolicited, from Asian countries. This situation is also being denounced in several countries of the European Union and by third countries ”, stressed the executive, in a note released by the General Directorate of Food and Veterinary Medicine (DGAV).
In addition to seeds of various species, packages may contain soil, dead larvae, or fungal structures.
According to the ministry under the tutelage of Maria do Céu Antunes, the packaging, whose content is not specified, is not accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate that certifies the country’s requirements, which generates “serious risks from the phytosanitary point of view, due to the possibility of carrying pests and diseases or the danger of being harmful or invasive species ”.
In this sense, the seeds should not be sown or thrown away, but must be delivered to a regional service of the DGAV or to a Regional Directorate of Agriculture and Fisheries.
“If delivery by hand is not possible, please note that these seeds are sent, with the original packaging, including the shipping label, to DGAV (Campo Grande 50 – 1700-093 Lisboa), and a contact with taking into account the possible need to collect additional clarifications ”, emphasized the Government.
News of an identical phenomenon, but on the other side of the Atlantic, in the United States, surfaced in late July, with the Department of Agriculture issuing an equal warning to citizens who, across the country, were beginning to receive packages with seeds that had not been ordered in the mailboxes.
Mr. Mandy came from cleaning packages and mail in the garage to tell me that we got seeds from China. Imagine my confusion since we didn’t ask for any. Then he asked me if I watched the news. If anyone needs me, I’ll be under my rock again. pic.twitter.com/LMb0aOc9mN
– Mandy M Roth (@mandymroth) August 26, 2020
At the time, Reuters explained that the matter was being investigated, in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security and Border Protection to understand whether or not the orders were a threat to agriculture or the environment.
There are reports of identical orders arriving, also from China or other Asian countries, to other parts of the world. HE The French government also recently launched an alert: “These seeds of unknown origin can be vectors of diseases not present in French territory or be invasive plants”.
In late July, some individuals received unsolicited seed packets from China
➡These seeds of unknown origin may be vectors of diseases not present in the territory ???????? or they turn out to be invasive plants https://t.co/v5gddapOv5 pic.twitter.com/nEgbDhjfoo– Ministry of Agriculture and Food (@Agri_Gouv) August 21, 2020
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