Seeds mailed to SC residents could be a threat to local environment, officials say
If a package of seeds shows up in the mail, do not open them. And definitely do not plant them.
That’s the warning issued about unsolicited packages of seeds mailed to South Carolina residents, according to a news release from the state Department of Agriculture and Clemson University’s Regulatory Services division.
The unordered seeds could be a foreign organism that could destroy or displace local plants and insects, according to the release.
“If these seeds should bear invasive species, they may be a threat to our environment and agriculture,” Clemson Regulatory Services director Steve Cole said in the release.
Officials are asking anyone who gets the mysterious seeds not to put them in the garbage, either.
“We don’t want unknown species planted or thrown out where they may wind up sprouting in a landfill,” Cole said.
Should an unsolicited package of seeds arrive in the mail, these are the steps officials say to follow.
Do not open the packet, handle, or plant the seeds, officials said. Keep the seed and packages, put them in a zip-top bag, then contact the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service Smuggling Interdiction and Trade Compliance program at 800-877-3835 or SITC.Mail@aphis.usda.gov.
“Whatever the reason for these mailings, it’s important to use caution when it comes to unidentified seeds,” state Department of Agriculture Assistant Commissioner Derek Underwood said in the release.
Both the state Department of Agriculture and Clemson officials are investigating after residents said they received the packages. Similar reports have been made to agriculture officials across the country, according to the release.
The North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services said seeds sent to the neighboring state be linked to an online scam.
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