http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2004010461,00.html
After reading the above article in a British tabloid, I am very curious as to why lavender is a banned substance in Australia. Could you in your infinite wisdom enlighten a poor reader from Italy, (there might be a pizza waiting, if you can?)
Mille Grazie J
Carl
Italia
Your link is not working for me.
I can’t possibly believe Lavender would be banned … Why in the world would you not allow lavender!?
Will be checking back to see if a local Doper can update us.
Australia has some pretty restrictive rules governing the bringing in of animal and plant material. Here’s a link that might help:
http://www.customs.gov.au/site/index.cfm?nav_id=670&area_id=5
After reading the OP I was thinking that Lavender was nowhere to be found in Australia!
If we’re talking bringing some while on travel, then it wouldn’t surprise me, you couldn’t bring a bag of lavender thru the US borders either, or any plants for that matter.
Cushion sparks a stink in customs.
I can understand Australian customs being extra-paranoid about bringing organic material in. After that business with the rabbits and cane toads, who wouldn’t?
In this instance, they are likely concerned about the economic damage that imported alfalfa mosaic virus, spittle bugs, and weevils would do their agricultural industries.
:Previews: Too slow!
From http://www.greenworldmag.com.au/article.asp?ArticleID=92
“Spanish lavender (Lavandula stoechas)
A dense, bushy, evergreen shrub, Spanish lavender is frost-hardy and bears terminal spikes of fragrant, deep purple flowers distinguished by wing-like bracts in late spring and summer. Its foliage is aromatic and silver-grey. <b>In some parts of Australia the true species is a declared noxious weed </b>as it seeds freely and may become a bushland invader.”
And sometimes the paranoid overzealousness goes too far …
When I lived in OZ, a number of non-native trees originally planted as wind breaks years ago were ordered to be chopped down. The order was absolute because, well, they were non-native and that’s all that. After they were chopped down, and not replaced, the damage started. The winds ruined the fields because the topsoil was lost.
But at least the non-native trees were gone, and that’s what counts!
Those QEFTSG dudes are gonna freak.
Context from a couple paragraphs up should not be overlooked, though:
(I guess here is a good a place as any to comment on your username, BTW. If it were any more hip, its pants wouldn’t fit.)
Duckster– Wow. :smack:
Because Lavender (Lavandula stoechas), when mixed with two tons of TNT and an atom bomb can be a very powerful weapon in the hands of a terrorist.
…their really are people around that are as sad as me… cheers for all the info,
“Because Lavender (Lavandula stoechas), when mixed with two tons of TNT and an atom bomb can be a very powerful weapon in the hands of a terrorist.”
hmmm… sounds like a winner to me, very logical LOL
Carl
Australia has a large lavender agricultural industry. They don’t allow lavender to be imported because of the risk of importing plant diseases and/or pests of lavender from other countries. I’ll take that pizza now, please:)
I have lavender growing in my front yard in Melbourne Australia and can buy lavender products all over. As others have noted we have strict quarantine laws to protect both our native vegetation and agriculture. We have plenty of pests and diseases the rest of the world doesn’t, we don’t need extras. I was quite surprised when an American friend sent me a lavender/wheat heat bag proving that customs and quarantine are not paying as much attention as one may hope.
zombies like lavender too
That pizza is seven years old now… I wouldn’t want to eat it. Especially not seven year old zombie lavender pizza.
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I think this seven-year-old zombie thread has been adequately answered and doesn’t need to be revived. I’m closing it now.
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