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Re: Shipping live Plants to Canada
> I believe the "system" assumes that most people are honest. The rules may
> seem cumbersome, but they are there for a reason, and that is NOT to
> maintain the employment of a raft of civil servants.
Beating a dead horse, but I have a few comments about this...
I'd guess that someone in Canada has aquatic plants like babytears and
frogbit in an aquarium, yes?
So, if I want to send some to someone in Canada, there is some way that
filling out some government paperwork will ensure the safety of the
environment in Canada? Will plants that cost me lots of time and
money to get thru customs somehow be safer for the environment than
plants shipped illegally?
If the point is to ensure that certain plants aren't sent, then it
seems that it would be better to publish a list of illegal plants.
If I know I'm not shipping any of those, I'd be free to mail some
plants to Canada. Since, as you say, the system assumes most people
are honest, this would be much more effective. Instead, the system
makes it (essentially) impossible for non-commercial aquarists to
ship a few plants back and forth legally. So MANY aquarists will
skirt the laws, and ship plants illegally. And that may increase
the chances that some "forbidden" plants will be shipped into
Canada.
I'm not advocating breaking any laws. But clearly, the laws do not
account for amateur aquarist. In fact, when calling the local
USDA office, the person I asked about importing/exporting plants
said "well, I wouldn't worry about it, but I can send you the
paperwork if you want...".
--
Chuck Gadd