Officials in Virginia and Utah have advised residents not to plant unidentified and unsolicited seeds that residents reported receiving in packages with Chinese text on them.
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) Announced on Friday, “You have been notified that several Virginia residents have received unsolicited packages containing seeds that appear to have originated in China.”
VDACS said that neither the number of people who have received the seeds nor the plant species can still be confirmed.
“The types of seeds in the packages are unknown at this time and may be invasive plant species. The packages were mailed and may have Chinese writing on them. ” the VDACS statement continued.
A Fox affiliate in Salt Lake City also reported this week that Utah residents have also been receiving Unsolicited seed packets with Chinese writing in the last two weeks.
Tooele, Utah resident Lori Culley told Fox 13 that most of the writing on a package she received Tuesday was in Chinese, though the label indicated it contained earrings.
“I opened them up and they were seeds,” Culley said. “Obviously they are not jewelry!”
The Utah Department of Agriculture is investigating the instances with US Customs and Border Protection, the Fox station reported. The two agencies urged residents to report when they receive the seeds and not plant them.
The Daily Mail last week reported similar incidents in Britain.
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