Eric Group
Masterpiece
So, I talked to a guy at work recently who does importing of wholesale goods from other countries. I have gotten to know him a bit and turned our conversation towards bonsai the last time we spoke. Specifically the restrictions for importing live plants and trees, quarantine rules... That sort of stuff because it just blows my kind that we have to go through so much trouble to bring in plants from Japan!
He said you do NOT have to quarantine the plants for two years.. This left me a little confused. I am no wholesale bonsai nursery owner and cannot possibly fill a 20 foot container to make it worth his time and effort to bring in some goods for me, but it did make me curious- can anyone explain some details for me like: why there is a quarantine requirement (i assumed to avoid importing bugs and diseases with the plants..) and what plants/ how long they have to be quarantined?
Specifically what he told me: it is all about customs and what they have "codes" for. If the tree you are importing is 1. Not a FRUIT bearing tree and 2. Has been imported frequently before, you are good to go. If you label the shipment correctly, have a detailed list of contents with codes that customs will recognize, you won't have any delays, they won't make you quarantine anything and you can avoid all that hassle. Now.. This was just a guy talking to me who has been doing this for probably 15-20 years. He IS an expert on importing, though perhaps not importing Bonsai specifically... But he has imported all sorts of living plants and animals in the past... So why would bonsai be different from other species of trees and plants that don't require a lengthy quarantine? I always wonder how do they know if a tree IS quarantined long enough after importing? Could it be the size of his shipments that negates the quarantine requirement? (Meaning do they perhaps have a different clearing process for wholesale orders vs smaller/ individual orders?)
Just some questions I had.. Not planning to start a Bonsai importing business or anything, just found it odd that the guy who is an export on importing said none of that mess in necessary!
He said you do NOT have to quarantine the plants for two years.. This left me a little confused. I am no wholesale bonsai nursery owner and cannot possibly fill a 20 foot container to make it worth his time and effort to bring in some goods for me, but it did make me curious- can anyone explain some details for me like: why there is a quarantine requirement (i assumed to avoid importing bugs and diseases with the plants..) and what plants/ how long they have to be quarantined?
Specifically what he told me: it is all about customs and what they have "codes" for. If the tree you are importing is 1. Not a FRUIT bearing tree and 2. Has been imported frequently before, you are good to go. If you label the shipment correctly, have a detailed list of contents with codes that customs will recognize, you won't have any delays, they won't make you quarantine anything and you can avoid all that hassle. Now.. This was just a guy talking to me who has been doing this for probably 15-20 years. He IS an expert on importing, though perhaps not importing Bonsai specifically... But he has imported all sorts of living plants and animals in the past... So why would bonsai be different from other species of trees and plants that don't require a lengthy quarantine? I always wonder how do they know if a tree IS quarantined long enough after importing? Could it be the size of his shipments that negates the quarantine requirement? (Meaning do they perhaps have a different clearing process for wholesale orders vs smaller/ individual orders?)
Just some questions I had.. Not planning to start a Bonsai importing business or anything, just found it odd that the guy who is an export on importing said none of that mess in necessary!