Mysterious seeds from China arrive in Israel, Agriculture Ministry warns
The ministry stressed that the importing of seeds or other agricultural produce into Israel without prior approval is prohibited by law because it can jeopardize local nature or carry diseases.
By DANIEL NISINMANPackages of unidentified seeds which appear to have been mailed from China to U.S. postal addresses are seen at the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) in Olympia, Washington July 24, 2020.(photo credit: REUTERS)
After initial reports of strange seed packages coming from China and other countries in Asia spread across the US, Israel's Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry warns of similar cases.Although it is unclear what is the source of these mysterious seed packages, the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry announced in a statement that the phenomena has recently spread to Israel.Apart from the US, similar incidents of unidentified seed packages coming by mail from China were recorded in the United Kingdom and even Portugal.The ministry stressed that the importing of seeds or other agricultural produce into Israel without prior approval is prohibited by law because it can jeopardize local nature or carry diseases.In case that one receives an unidentified packaged containing seeds, they are requested to contact the Plant Protection and Inspection Services immediately and under no circumstances they are to attempt to plant it or to use it anyway, the ministry said.Simply throwing away the seeds is also not recommended, as they easily can end up sprouting in a landfill or elsewhere, and cause potential damage to the local environment.
