China crackdown on illegally carrying and mailing seeds and seedlings

In recent years, "cute" succulent plants have captured the hearts of many consumers, and foreign varieties of succulent plants have begun to pour into China. Seemingly harmless succulent plants actually hide biological risks, which can easily cause alien biological invasions and endanger the ecological environment and safety. In this regard, the AQSIQ planned and carried out an eight-month "Green Bud" special campaign.

The reporter recently learned from the General Administration of quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine that from March to October this year, the national inspection and quarantine institutions intercepted more than 22000 batches of plant reproductive materials, such as plant seeds and seedlings illegally carried and mailed into the country, with a total weight of 80.6 tons. 14000 batches of pests were found, and the detection rate of pests exceeded 64%.

Chen Maosheng, deputy director of the Animal and Plant Quarantine Supervision Department of the AQSIQ, said that the expansion of foreign exchanges such as commerce and tourism, especially the rapid development of cross-border e-commerce such as "Haitao", has opened a convenient door for illegally carrying and mailing seeds and seedlings.

Chen Maosheng, Deputy Director of the Animal and Plant Department of the AQSIQ:

One is that we really do not know that there is a national regulation, nor do we know how much harm animal and plant products, especially seeds and seedlings, will cause to the country's biosafety and ecological security. The other is that we also know that the state has laws on the entry and exit quarantine of animals and plants, as well as relevant laws and regulations on environmental protection, that is, taking risks, because with a sense of luck, one is that the Customs, our Inspection and Quarantine, and the General Administration of quality Inspection and Quarantine may not be able to find out. In addition, I do not necessarily cause harm if I take this. I really like it. The third aspect is indeed quite malicious, knowing that the state has laws and regulations that deliberately evade inspection and quarantine and bring prohibited goods into the country for their own interests, for the interests of enterprises, and for the interests of a small number of people.

Since the launch of the "Green Bud" special campaign, on the one hand, the national inspection and quarantine organs have stepped up port inspection efforts and widely carried out legal publicity; on the other hand, they have set up relevant "blacklists" to resolutely crack down on lawbreakers. Since the second half of this year, the phenomenon of illegally carrying and mailing plant seeds and seedlings at various ports has been significantly reduced, and the "green bud" special campaign has achieved remarkable results.