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[71]U.S. news

28 states issue warnings about residents receiving unsolicited seed packets
from China

The Montana Department of Agriculture said the unidentified seeds may
have the potential to introduce diseases to local plants or could be
harmful to livestock.
[NC_seedscam0728_1920x1080.focal-760x428.jpg]

[72]Agriculture officials warn residents not to plant 'mystery seeds'
arriving from China

July 28, 202002:01

Breaking News Emails

Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that
matter, delivered weekday mornings.
[73]SUBSCRIBE
July 28, 2020, 5:03 PM UTC / Updated July 28, 2020, 11:19 PM UTC
By Janelle Griffith

Officials in at least 28 states are urging residents to report any
unsolicited packages of seeds that appear to have been sent from China
because they could be harmful.

The agricultural departments in those states released statements in
recent days saying residents had reported receiving packages of seeds
in the mail that they had not ordered.

"Based on information provided by constituents, the packages were sent
by mail and may have Chinese writing on them," the Delaware Department
of Agriculture said in a statement Monday. "All contained some sort of
seed packet either alone, with jewelry, or another inexpensive item."
The Delaware Department of Agriculture is advising residents not to
plant unsolicited seeds purportedly sent from China.Delaware Dept. of
Agriculture

Public notices about unsolicited shipments of seeds from China were
also issued by agriculture officials in Alabama, Colorado,Florida,
Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota,
Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey,
North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee,
Texas, Virginia, Washington state, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Let our news meet your inbox. The news and stories that matters,
delivered weekday mornings.
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This site is protected by recaptcha [74]Privacy Policy | [75]Terms of
Service

Some of the seeds have been mailed in [76]white packages displaying
Chinese lettering and the words "China Post." Others, [77]such as those
mailed to people in Ohio, have been sent in yellow envelopes.

The U.S. Agriculture Department's Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service is working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and state
departments of agriculture to investigate.

The USDA [78]said in a statement it did not have any evidence that this
was 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," the statement
said.

The USDA [79]urged anyone who received the seeds in the mail to contact
[80]state plant regulatory officials or Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service [81]officials in their state.

Officials warned people not to plant the seeds.

"If you receive seeds from China, DO NOT PLANT THEM. And don’t throw
them in the trash," Mississippi Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner
Andy Gipson said in a [82]statement on his Facebook page.

The Montana Department of Agriculture said in a statement Monday that
the seeds have not yet been identified.

"They could be invasive, meaning they may have the potential to
introduce diseases to local plants, or could be harmful to livestock,"
the statement said.

Steve Cole, director of Clemson University's Regulatory Services unit
in South Carolina, [83]said: "If these seeds should bear invasive
species, they may be a threat to our environment and agriculture. We
don't want unknown species planted or thrown out where they may wind up
sprouting in a landfill."
Image: Janelle Griffith Janelle Griffith

Janelle Griffith is a breaking news reporter for NBC News.

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