<head><style>body{font-size:10pt;font-family:arial,sans-serif;background-color:#ffffff;color:black;}p{margin:0px;}</style></head><body>While I understand the concern regarding the introduction of new problem plants, this approach seems a bit bizarre. More puzzling is the attention paid to this issue regarding the movement of living things across geopolitical (meaningless from the standpoint of the natural world) boundaries, while these same governments pay little attention to the equivalent biological "weapons of mass destruction" like the introduction of GE salmon and other genetically modified organisms into our biosphere.<br><br>These governments seem far more interested in the bottom line of multinational corporations than the common good. We see this agenda played out daily in policies that are enacted and that while sounding beneficial, often upon deeper investigation we see that they play into the financial goals and bottom line of these same corporations.<br><br>It is not my intent here to place blame or to paint all of those vested with the authority of overseeing our interests with the same broad brush. However we must remember that these same entities were often the very ones responsible for the introduction of many of our greatest plant pests today such as kudzu and multiflora rose. The bottom line here is that agencies are staffed by people and people make mistakes.<br><br>Once again, I believe the focus of those charged with protecting our interests should go after real and imminent threats instead of potential or even imaginary ones. USDA, FDA, and the EPA should be looking at those organisms that have no track record outside the laboratory and as such have to potential to unleash unimaginable consequences.<br><br>Regards,<br>Robin A. Suggs<br><br><br><blockquote style="padding-left: 5px; margin-left: 0px; border-left: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 255);">-----Original Message-----
<br>From: Conrad Richter <conrad@richters.com>
<br>Sent: Oct 24, 2010 3:53 AM
<br>To: mpwg@lists.plantconservation.org
<br>Subject: [MPWG] Fwd:
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<span class="item"><span class="item"><b><span class="ZZZhead">"WHITE
LIST" OF AUTHORIZED PLANTS (Canada and U.S.)</span></b></span></span>
<p class="item">The U.S. and Canadian governments are planning to
introduce a "white list" of plants that are allowed entry into each
country under a joint Canada-USA greenhouse certification program. The
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Canadian Food
Inspection Agency (CFIA) are requesting comments from stakeholders on a
proposal to replace the current list of prohibited plants with this new
list of allowed plants. What this means is that if a plant is not on
the allowed list it cannot enter the U.S. from Canada or vice versa.
Many thousands of plants including many herbs will be barred entry
under the proposal.</p>
<p class="item">This change is highly significant for both countries
because it appears to be a first attempt to implement a controversal
"white list" approach to the control of cross-border plant movement.
The proposed "white list" is far more restrictive than the current
"black list" of prohibited plants that has been in place since the
inception of the binational Greenhouse Certification Program in 1996.
The proposed "white list" of allowed plants includes less than 1000
plant genera, out of over 12,600 genera of flowering plants known to
man. The current "black list" of prohibited plants has fewer than 100
genera.</p>
<p class="item">Some suggest that the powerful anti-invasives movement
in the U.S. is behind the push to introduce "white lists" of plants
that are allowed into the country. While invasives are a problem for
both countries, the new list will affect thousands of plants already in
the horticultural trade, and will limit the introduction of new plants
to gardeners.</p>
<p class="item">For gardeners, it is worth reflecting a moment on how
many new plants that you have enjoyed growing over the past 10-20
years, and how many of them might not have been available to you had
this "white list" been in place.</p>
<p class="item">Gardeners, herbalists, commercial growers, and the
gardening and herbal media are encouraged to submit comments.</p>
<p class="note"><b><font color="#cc0033">The deadline for comments is
October 31, 2010.</font></b></p>
<p class="item"><b>United States</b>: Email your comments to Michael D.
Ward, Senior Accreditation Projects Manager, USDA-APHIS-PPQ (<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:michael.d.ward@aphis.usda.gov?Subject=GCP%20Comments">michael.d.ward@aphis.usda.gov)</a></p>
<p class="item"><b>Canada</b>: Email your comments to the CFIA (<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:horticulture@inspection.gc.ca?Subject=comments">horticulture@inspection.gc.ca</a>)</p>
<p class="item">The relevant documents, including the proposed lists of
authorized genera and families, are available <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.richters.com/newdisplay.cgi?page=Issues/documents.html">here</a>.</p>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
\_\ RICHTERS HERBS
/ / Goodwood, ON, L0C 1A0, Canada
\_\ Tel +1.905.640.6677 Fax +1.905.640.6641
/_/ <a moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.richters.com">http://www.richters.com</a></pre>
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Robin Alton Suggs
MoonBranch Botanicals
5294 Yellow Creek Road
Robbinsville, North Carolina 28771
USA
Telephone: 828.479.2788
Email: moonbranch@earthlink.net
www.moonbranch.com
&
www.localharvest.org/store/M16074
Member:
Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project; Farm Partner
Green Products Alliance
North Carolina Consortium on Natural Medicines
North Carolina Goodness Grows/NCDA&CS
Southwestern North Carolina RC&D Council
United Plant Savers
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it"
- Matthew 7:13 </pre>