Unsolicited packages of seeds are showing up to households across the United States. The packages appear to be from China and have been labeled as jewelry or other things. (Maryland Department of Agriculture | Twitter)
SALT LAKE CITY — Homes in Utah and across the country have been receiving unsolicited packages of seeds that appear to be from China, and the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food is urging anyone who may have received such a package to give it to them for testing.
“Foreign plant material may pose a threat to Utah’s private and public lands by introducing invasive plants that can disrupt the ecosystem,” UDAF said.
They ask anyone who may have received an unsolicited package of seeds from China, or anywhere else, to send the package, in its entirety, to the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food in Salt Lake.
Residents can mail their packages to:
Utah Department of Agriculture and Food
ATTN: State Seed Lab
PO Box 146500
Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-6500Or drop them off at:
Utah Department of Agriculture and Food
ATTN: State Seed Lab
350 N. Redwood Road
Salt Lake City, Utah 84116
“UDAF’s State Seed Lab will continue identifying the seeds to determine whether they are on the Federal or State Noxious lists. Following the identification, the lab will destroy the material, to prevent it from entering Utah’s ecosystem.”
The US Department of Agriculture said they are working with both the Department of Homeland Security and other federal and state agencies to investigate the situation and reiterates UDAF’s call not to plant any unsolicited seeds.
“At this time, we don’t have any evidence indicating this is something other than a “brushing scam” where people receive unsolicited items from a seller who then posts false customer reviews to boost sales. USDA is currently collecting seed packages from recipients and will test their contents and determine if they contain anything that could be of concern to U.S. agriculture or the environment,” they write but restating the call to not to plant any seeds from unknown origins.
The Department says that if for any reason residents can’t send the material to the UDAF they are asked to kill the seeds by baking them in the oven at 200 degrees for 40 minutes.