SPOKANE, Wash. — The Washington State Department of Agriculture is warning people about potentially harmful seeds being mailed to people unsolicited.
In a Facebook post Friday, WSDA said they received reports from people who received seeds in the mail from China that they didn’t order. The seeds are sent in packages usually saying the contents are jewelry.
WSDA said unsolicited seeds could be invasive, introduce disease to local plants or be harmful to livestock.
The Idaho State Department of Agriculture said in a press release it also received 20 reports of unsolicited packages of seed being sent in the mail.
Here’s what you should do if you receive unsolicited seeds from another country:
- Don’t plant them and if they are in sealed packaging, don’t open it.
- Report it to the USDA and keep the seeds and packaging until the USDA instructs you with what to do with the packages and seeds. They may be needed as evidence of agricultural smuggling.