Am I interpreting CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) regulation 7CFR319.37 correctly in that citrus seeds must be accompanied by a written permit to enter the U.S.? (I wouldn't be surprised as they have a citrus industry to protect.) The Q&A for plant protection policy directive D-02-10 describes the various options for seed exporters. Since there is no special mention of the 'casual' shipping of a few seeds, would it be safe to conclude the directive also applies in such cases? I recently received a request for seed to be sent across the border via mail and wondered about the legality of doing so.
Hi Junglekeeper, I do not know about the rest of the states, but Florida does not allow seeds without a permit/certificate even from within the US. There are different rules in various states-- especially those with citrus industry --FL, LA, TX, AZ, and CA. Skeet
Actually, I find it surprising to ship citrus seed from Canada into the United States. Citrus seed is usually shipped from the United States into Canada. I don't know the legality of shipping seed either from Canada, or into Canada, but I am aware that citrus seed is quite commonly sent into Canada by citrus hobbyist to other citrus hobbyist. Whether this is a violation of Canadian law or not I do not know. I do know that citrus diseases are not transferred by citrus seed.
Yes - we're not even close to the citrus belt (pity). The seed in question are those of imported fruit of the lesser known Nanfeng mandarin. It's likely that they're also to be found in the States but may involve more than the usual amount of effort in the search. I didn't encounter any regulation against it during my search.
