My wife has been getting into natural fabric dyeing lately. We are coincidentally going to be in France this spring, and she’s curious about foraging for dyestuffs while we’re there. Is it OK to bring dried plants on an international flight back to the USA? I know there is sometimes worry about transporting germinateable seeds. What if she dries and then grinds the plants and seeds up? Or excludes anything with seeds and sticks to roots, etc.? (Or do we then risk bringing fungus back?)
Or other plant pathogens, yes. But it doesn’t appear that general US border protection policy blanket excludes plant matter on that basis, so it’s more a theoretical consideration.
In other words, declare and let the inspectors decide.
Years ago, I was talked out of bringing home the dried French lavender I bought in Provence. One of our American tour group companions was a farmer/rancher with a knowledge of agriculture and he persuaded me not to pack it along. I was a little skeptical, but I didn’t want to bring home any plant pests, so I tossed the lavender.
About 45 years ago, we brought back some dried herbs and seeds from a year in Switzerland. Someone from the department of agriculture examined them and allowed them. I think the coriander seeds were actually viable, although we didn’t try.
I had one apple left when returning from France to Canada, and the customs guy made me toss it in their special bin. Europe and North America (and New Zealand and Australia) have close enough climates and crop varieties that they could be susceptible to the same diseases. Hence the added precautions. The large oceans are a pretty good barrier to natural spread. The tiny palm tree from Disney World, the Canadian customs people were not at all concerned about. Obviously, quarantining between the USA and Canada is somewhat futile considering Mother Nature crosses the border easily.
There are quarantine areas even within Washington state, not to mention the international border. Apple maggots are no laughing matter to the apple industry.
Agree. I had a beagle sit down next to my backpack at the airport. I had had oranges in it some weeks earlier, and it was enough to warrant questioning. The person attached to the beagle asked me if I had anything and I said that I did not, but I had had used it for grocery shopping. I was advised I might want to use a different backpack for traveling.
They do ask about bringing fresh fruit and vegetables (and raw meat) into Canada, but I’ve never been told to not bring items in. OTOH, I’ve tended to avoid these things when going cross-border, so I’ve never seen the limits of the policy. Dutch Elm disease has shown that no matter how hard you try, some things cannot be stopped. OTOH, orchard trees tend to be very sparse in the areas between agricultural regions so quarantines can be moderately effective. When things like mad cow and hoof-and-mouth were a problem, they used to ask if you’ve been on a farm in the last week or two, and whether you intend to go on one soon after arriving in Canada.
For the OP - I imagine that may be the sort of person that agricultural people are afraid of - someone who frequents certain crop areas in a distant country and may have a propensity to also visit those same crop areas locally.
The default state in Australia and New Zealand is nothing is allowed unless you have clearance, preferably prior and preferably shipped separately with the full trail of approvals. Then wait many months for it to clear Quarantine.
Anything found in your personal luggage will be confiscated, there are heavy fines, and chances are that Border Security Australia series LXVIII will be being filmed so that your crimes will be on permanent record.
As an expert in the field (I watch “To Catch A Smuggler” a lot), I can tell you that there’s a decent chance that whatever you bring back to the US might be confiscated. I would recommend not spending a lot of money on it and definitely declare them in your customs forms.
I asked the question on Ravelry, the website for all things fiber-arts related. The universal response was DO NOT DO IT.
Got it. We will just have to wait to dye with French plants until we cast aside our American lives and move to France permanently.
Thanks all!