'Do not plant these seeds': chief plant health officer

‘Do not plant these seeds’: NT chief plant health officer on mystery seed deliveries

by | Sep 8, 2020 | News | 0 comments

Territory horticulturists are the latest recipients of unsolicited “seed packets” this month, as mysterious packages have been arriving throughout Australia in August and in the United States and Europe since July that could be part of an international scam by online vendors.

NT chief plant health officer Dr Anne Walters said dozens of seed packages have been mailed from China, Malaysia, Taiwan and other countries in Asia in September and urged Territorians to be aware and report any unexpected packages because of biosecurity concerns.

“It’s absolutely critical that people do not plant these seeds or throw them in the bin,” Dr Walters said.

“They could end up germinating in landfill and introducing new weeds or diseases into the Northern Territory and Australia.”

Australians around the country have received mysterious seed packets since August, with the source, the type of seeds and sender unknown, Dr Walters said.

Europe and Canada are also among the destinations for these seed packages, the US Department of Agriculture said on its website.

The USDA said there had been a significant rise in mysterious seed packages sent to the United States in July and as of August 31, they had collected 8,507 packages from all states but the department did not find anything of “major concern” .

The USDA said they believe the seed packages are part of an online “brushing” scam and have examined 2,410 of the packets and identified 321 different species of seed.

An ABC report from August 27, describes a theory on how brushing works. It said a seller makes a fake account using your name and address on a site such as Amazon and purchases one of its own products and sends it to you but does not charge you. The seller also uses your name to leave a five star review, aimed at boosting their presence and sales.

The report said leaving a review using a real name makes the product seem more legitimate and appear more popular. The report did not explain why the seller actually sent the seeds and not just make the purchase and leave a review.

‘Nobody has been able to explain why this is happening’: Australian Seed Federation

The USDA said seeds are often used because they are light and cheap to send through the mail.

The scam distorts the market and impacts people’s purchasing decision Deakin University’s Cyber Security Research and Innovation Centre director Damien Manuel told the ABC.

“Studies overseas show between 70 and 84 per cent of people make a purchasing decision based on reviews they are reading,” Manuel said.

However, Australian Seed Federation (ASF) chief executive Osman Mewett told the ABC his organisation hadn’t “seen anything concrete as to why this would be happening… neither here nor in any of the overseas reports, has anyone been able to explain why this is happening.”

“There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason about who is receiving these packages,” he said.

Australia’s Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment told the ABC that 36 “unidentified” seed packages arrived in Australia from July 22 to August 26, and were primarily from China, Malaysia and Taiwan.

Territorians need to ‘remain diligent’ and report seed packages

Territorians are encouraged to remain diligent and report unexpected seed packets to the plant pests hotline, Dr Walters said.

“Imported seeds of unknown origin pose a great biosecurity risk as they can carry harmful diseases or invasive species,” she said.

“[These seeds] can harm agricultural industries, the natural environment, and our backyard gardens.”

There are drop off locations around the Territory and Territorians should fill out a seed analysis and destruction form but drop offs can be made anonymously, Dr Walters said.

Drop off locations include: Berrimah Farm Science Precinct; Northern Territory Farmers Association Coolalinga office; Katherine Research Station; Barkly House at Tennant Creek and the Arid Zone Research Institute in Alice Springs.

The Plant Pests Hotline is 1800 084 881 and more information can be found at nt.gov.au/report-seeds.

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