What people need to know before shipping and receiving agricultural items this holiday season
People ship and receive packages using express courier companies like FedEx, UPS, DHL and others all of the time, but when the package includes an agricultural item, things could get dangerous for U.S agriculture and natural resources.
“You should know what could be hitchhiking in or on those items – invasive plant and animal diseases and pests,” said Dr. Mark Davidson, deputy administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Plant Protection and Quarantine program. “Once these threats enter our country, they could harm our crops, livestock and ecosystems. Left unchecked, they could devastate entire agricultural industries, eliminating jobs, threatening our food supply and costing billions of dollars in losses and response costs.”
What is an
agricultural item?
Some people might be surprised to learn what USDA considers an agricultural item.
Obvious examples spring to mind, like fruits, vegetables, plants, seeds and meat, but others include dried and processed plant products like rice, herbs and citrus peel; woodcarvings and handicrafts; live insects and snails; microorganisms; soil; pet food, chews and treats, as well as hides, bones, feathers and hunting trophies from certain animals and snack food items containing animal-origin ingredients like individually-packaged meat snacks and mooncakes.
An even more extensive list can be found on USDA’s contact page for people shipping items via express courier.
Who does this apply to?
Many people who buy agricultural items online receive them from family or friends or ship these items themselves and aren’t aware of the agricultural risk and their legal obligations under USDA’s regulations.
These rules apply to anyone who ships or receives agricultural items via express courier. Common examples of people who ship agricultural items include customers in an express courier store; customers on an express courier website about to print a shipping label; people in Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands shipping agricultural items to the continental U.S. and gardeners who ship homegrown produce to family or friends.
Examples of those who receive agricultural items include e-commerce customers buying plants or plant products – or animal products or byproducts – including handicrafts, international students receiving care packages or gifts from home including agricultural items and relatives or friends of people receiving a regulated article illegally shipped within the U.S. but out of a quarantine area
CBP checklist
USDA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) created a checklist infographic to help ensure agricultural items are safe to ship into the U.S.
Sometimes people will need to contact USDA for guidance, and other times they will need to contact both USDA and CBP.
The checklist makes it easy to figure out who to contact.
First, look at the checklist and find the kind of agricultural item one plans on shipping or receiving via express courier.
See if USDA or CBP needs to be contacted before shipping.
Use the link or QR code to find the contact information.
Call or e-mail the appropriate unit.
“USDA and CBP know agricultural items shipped in express courier packages can be a dangerous pathway for invasive pests and diseases to enter our country,” said CBP Acting Executive Assistant Commissioner Diane Sabatino. “The good news is the public can help us protect the things they love, like healthy animals and plants, fresh and affordable food and lush forests.”
Greg Rosenthal is the communications manager for USDA’s Plant Protection and Quarantine program. This article was originally published by USDA on Dec. 12.
