Yahoo News People in the US are getting sent mystery seeds, and it's sowing confusion
US authorities have sounded the alarm over shipments of mystery seeds arriving in the mailboxes of Americans, mostly postmarked from China.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has identified more than a dozen plant species ranging from morning glories to mustard in the bags of unsolicited seeds, and has said that anyone who receives the shipments should hold onto the packages, refrain from planting the seeds and immediately contact officials.
The agency said in a statement last week that it didn't have any evidence to indicate this is something other than a so-called “brushing scam" - a scheme which sees a seller send unsolicited packages so they can post false customer reviews online and boost sales.
"USDA is currently collecting seed packages from recipients and will test their contents to determine if they contain anything that could be of concern to US agriculture or the environment," it added.
While most species identified by the agency seem to be innocuous herbs, flowering plants, vegetables or grasses, plant experts warn that seeds from other parts of the world could be non-native varieties that harm commodity crops.
Another concern is what appears to be an unknown coating, possibly insecticide or fungicide on the seeds, said Robin Pruisner, state seed control official at the Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship in Iowa, the top US corn growing state.
US Customs and Border Protection said it was investigating the origin of the seeds, while China’s foreign ministry spokesman said the packages appear to have been falsified.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said last week it had received 1,209 reports about the seeds, with 300 phone calls on Thursday alone.
Other state agriculture departments have also reported packages postmarked from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, though most are reportedly from China.
The bizzare packages have also been reported in Canada, where Ontario’s Central Region Provincial Police posted a warning on Facebook Wednesday against “foreign seeds in the mail from China or Taiwan.”
The seeds also appear to have made their way to Britain and New Zealand, too, according to a recent report by The Guardian. There have been about 100 cases of the shipments being reported in the UK to date, the newspaper reported.
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