Really, this is not the place for politics. On Thu, Mar 20, 2025, 5:00 AM <pbs-request@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> wrote: > Send pbs mailing list submissions to > pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > https://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/… > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > pbs-request@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net > > You can reach the person managing the list at > pbs-owner@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of pbs digest..." > > > List-Post:<mailto:pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net > List-Archive:<http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. "DOGE?s Cuts at the USDA Could Cause US Grocery Prices to > Rise and Invasive Species to Spread" (Lee Poulsen) > 2. Re: "DOGE?s Cuts at the USDA Could Cause US Grocery Prices > to Rise and Invasive Species to Spread" (Robert Lauf) > 3. Re: "DOGE?s Cuts at the USDA Could Cause US Grocery Prices > to Rise and Invasive Species to Spread" (Michael Homick) > 4. Re: "DOGE?s Cuts at the USDA Could Cause US Grocery Prices > to Rise and Invasive Species to Spread" (Robert Lauf) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2025 11:02:52 -0700 > From: Lee Poulsen <wpoulsen@pacbell.net> > To: Pacific Bulb Society <pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> > Subject: [pbs] "DOGE?s Cuts at the USDA Could Cause US Grocery Prices > to Rise and Invasive Species to Spread" > Message-ID: <2A51259E-CEA1-4908-B795-FCE001C0819C@pacbell.net> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 > > Saw this news article yesterday: "DOGE?s Cuts at the USDA Could Cause US > Grocery Prices to Rise and Invasive Species to Spread? > < > https://wired.com/story/usda-food-supply-chains/… > > > > Here are some excerpts: > > 6,000 employees were let go at the USDA (US Dept. of Agriculture) in > February as part of a government-wide purge orchestrated by the Trump > administration and Elon Musk?s so-called Department of Government > Efficiency (DOGE). > > Before he received his termination notice, he says, Copeland had just > spent several months training the only dog stationed in Florida capable of > detecting the Giant African land snail, an invasive mollusk that poses a > significant threat to Florida agriculture. ?We have dogs for spotted and > lantern flies, Asian longhorn beetles,? he says, referring to two other > non-native species. ?I don?t think the American people realize how much > crap that people bring into the United States.? > > Dog trainers are just one example of the kind of highly specialized USDA > staff that have been removed from their stations in recent weeks. Teams > devoted to inspecting plant and food imports have been hit especially hard > by the recent cuts, including the Plant Protection and Quarantine program, > which has lost hundreds of staffers alone. > > ?It?s causing problems left and right,? says one current USDA worker, who > like other federal employees in this story asked to remain anonymous for > fear of retaliation. ?It?s basically a skeleton crew working now,? says > another current USDA staffer, who noted that both they and most of their > colleagues held advanced degrees and had many years of training to protect > US food and agriculture supply chains from invasive pests. ?It?s not > something that is easily replaced by artificial intelligence.? > > The USDA cuts are being felt especially in coastal states home to major > shipping ports. USDA sources who spoke to WIRED estimate that the Port of > Los Angeles, one of the busiest in the US, lost around 35 percent of its > total Plant Protection and Quarantine staff and 60 percent of its > ?smuggling and interdiction? employees, who are tasked with stopping > illegal pests and goods from entering the country. The Port of Miami, which > handles high volumes of US plant imports, lost about 35 percent of its > plant inspectors. > > ----- > So for those of us in the U.S., I have questions: > > 1. Does this mean that plant material that we import will just sit at the > inspection station (where the green and yellow label directs it) and remain > there (and possibly die) until one of the diminished staff finally gets > around to inspecting it? Or will they just start sending a bunch of stuff > on uninspected so that the pile of uninspected items doesn?t just keep > growing to overwhelming proportions? (And for those so inclined, might this > be an opportunity to try to import plants, bulbs, or seeds for which it is > difficult to impossible to obtain a phytosanitary certificate from the > sender?s country or which are not allowed? ??) > > 2. Does anyone know how this will affect the South African bulb order? > > 3. Should those of us in the US stop trying to import any plants, bulbs, > or seeds from abroad for the foreseeable future, or until things get back > to ?normal? (whenever that will be)? > > 4. And what about things we?ve already ordered and paid for that are on > the way, but might not arrive until after April 2? Even if they do make it > through inspection without too much delay, the current plan is to start > charging tariffs on everything imported from every country starting on > April 2. Will customs hold onto everything that arrives and notify the > recipient that they need to pay the new tariff before it will be released? > How will that be done? Will they send it on out once the tariff is paid, or > do we have to figure out how to ship it from customs to us and pay for any > additional shipping charges? > > 5. I wonder if any new plant pests or diseases really will get in during > this time? > > --Lee Poulsen > San Gabriel Valley, California, USA - USDA Zone 10a > Latitude 34?N, Altitude 340 ft/100 m > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2025 18:47:42 +0000 (UTC) > From: Robert Lauf <boblauf@att.net> > To: Lee Poulsen via pbs <pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> > Subject: Re: [pbs] "DOGE?s Cuts at the USDA Could Cause US Grocery > Prices to Rise and Invasive Species to Spread" > Message-ID: <1765924249.6020367.1742410062270@mail.yahoo.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 > > Leigh and Johann have been diligently working on processing our group > order since Tues of last week.? They hope everything will be dug, washed, > and suitably dry by the end of the month and will be shipped around April 1. > I have spoken with the supervisory inspectors in both Jamaica, NY (JFK) > and Linden, NJ (Newark) and they assured me that they have no problem doing > what we did last time in ATL, viz., inspecting and shipping directly to > Bridget, rather than to me, using the UPS labels we will have enclosed in > the orders. > I specifically asked the lady in Linden what the work load is like at her > station vs JFK and she said she wasn't sure about JFK but generally at her > station plants are in and out typically in two days.? That was our > experience at ATL as well.? The article cites a 35% reduction in inspection > staff, and laughably describes what's left as a "skeleton crew".? But doing > the math, adding 35% to the 2-day turnaround time doesn't strike me as a > crisis in the offing. > Lastly, it is important to note that to the dormant bulb, a week or two in > a clean cardboard box, mostly at room temperature, is a walk in the park > compared to baking in the ground during the dry season in the Kalahari. > Bottom line is that I don't think the sky is falling and Uncle Sam can get > all the liposuction treatments possible and life will go on.? Our order > this time totals well over $6000 and 41 member orders.? We expect things to > go smoothly.? Please keep Bridget in your thoughts and prayers as she > braces for the arrival and distribution phase of the project. > As to the issue of tariffs, this remains up in the air at the moment.? > Live plants are not subject to duties, yet the customs broker working for > DHL wrongly charged duties last time.? I had to jump in and pay them to > avoid having everything sent back, and managed to claw the money back a few > months later.? Worst case would be that our order arrives at customs and we > have to pay something (a maximum of 20%, which appears to be what South > Africa charges on American imports).? Even with a 20% add-on the total will > still be far less than our early estimate in which we told everyone to plan > on a grand total of twice the catalog price of the bulbs.? Last time it > worked out to more like 125% of the catalog price.? So we'll see but most > members will, I think, come away satisfied with the value proposition. > In any case, I will be monitoring the shipment on a daily basis so we can > respond to whatever comes up without causing delays. > Bob? ?infested by maple pollen in Zone 7 > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 3 > Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2025 14:01:21 -0700 > From: Michael Homick <michaelhomick@gmail.com> > To: Pacific Bulb Society <pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> > Subject: Re: [pbs] "DOGE?s Cuts at the USDA Could Cause US Grocery > Prices to Rise and Invasive Species to Spread" > Message-ID: > < > CAH7Rr8d4g7o9t8WrcCoqLKszWtz+K8H2gvjrHWf4_7rrZtNE5w@mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" > > Hi Lee and the group: > I am involved with a project to disseminate and protect rare lilium species > in tissue culture. Last fall I placed a rather substantial order for Lilium > species in tissue culture to: https://www.lilium-tc.com/. Previously > orders came through fine with just minor delays. Matthias obtained phytos > for everything and we had all the proper paperwork for importation. The > USDA in their wisdom now gamma irradiates all plant material from Austria > due to potato cyst nematodes. So when my shipment and others who also > ordered separately got their plants everything was cooked. > I evn planned on making a trip physically to Austria this year ( round trip > approx $700.00) but restrictions permit only 12 plants to be physically > brought back on your person. I called the USDA to verify this restriction > and was told that indeed twelve plants is the limit and that they would > also be subjected to irradiation. The logic is that plants grown from seed > in tissue culture would have no contact with potato cyst nematodes or soil. > It is all very frustrating. Um.... maybe a lead lined shipping container? > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 4 > Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2025 02:27:02 +0000 (UTC) > From: Robert Lauf <boblauf@att.net> > To: Michael Homick via pbs <pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> > Subject: Re: [pbs] "DOGE?s Cuts at the USDA Could Cause US Grocery > Prices to Rise and Invasive Species to Spread" > Message-ID: <1010753399.6207794.1742437622276@mail.yahoo.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 > > Michael, > You have discovered another complication in the business.? There are a lot > of one-off restrictions that might or might not be visible to you when you > set up your import permit.? For instance, when I was setting my permit to > include all the genera that members wanted, four of them? (Crocosmia, > Gladiolus, Gloriosa, and Watsonia) cannot be added to the permit if coming > from South Africa.? A flag says these are NOT ALLOWED entry at all, I > believe because they can harbor brown potato rot.? So we had to remove them > from any order that has them on it. > Issues like that are definitely not negotiable.? However, I do note that > there are various permits, including one to allow importing of live pests > for use in research (I'm not making this up).? You might want to delve into > the more exotic permit classes to see if there is one that is tailored > specifically for bottle babies; as I recall, one can get docs that allow > importing bottles of orchid seedlings of species that are on CITES and > would otherwise be illegal to sell if wild-collected. > If you haven't already done so, you might call the guy at the APHIS mother > ship in Maryland.? You'll get a robo-operator but at the appropriate point > in the menu, pick the one about importing live plants and then leave a > message.? He will get back to you promptly, and has always been very > helpful when I have questions.? He might know of a work-around for your > problem.? But when it comes to serious threats to food crops, they will err > on the side of caution, and we can't blame them. > Contact me privately if you want to discuss things in more detail.? But it > sounds like Austria might be the deal breaker and your supplier needs to > set up a lab someplace else.? Good luck! > Bob? ?Zone 7, waiting for the rain tonight. > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Subject: Digest Footer > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net > https://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/… > Unsubscribe: <mailto:pbs-unsubscribe@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> > PBS Forum latest: > https://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbsforum/index.php/… > > > ------------------------------ > > End of pbs Digest, Vol 97, Issue 13 > *********************************** > _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net https://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/… Unsubscribe: <mailto:pbs-unsubscribe@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> PBS Forum https://…