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As someone who is a biologist in Australia, oh my god is it a headache to get seeds into Australia. Lots of paperwork involved if we actually want to grow overs
by a_bonobo 6y ago
As someone who is a biologist in Australia, oh my god is it a headache to get seeds into Australia. Lots of paperwork involved if we actually want to grow overseas plants, much easier to import extracted RNA or DNA (but way riskier for the research, shipping companies aren't trustworthy in keeping smaller shipments on ice).
The dogs and the x-ray at the airport are not for drugs, they're mostly biosecurity, too.
I can't see something like the OP happening in Australia, it would get destroyed at the border
- paranoidrobot 6y agoFellow Australian here, and I've always viewed our biosecurity as being pretty tight and effective, too. Apparently however small innocuous packets/letters don't receive quite as much screening, as I've heard of people getting marijuana seeds in the mail just fine.
- sandworm101 6y agoAnd private planes don't seem to be inspected. If Depp can get his dogs through undetected seeds shouldn't be a problem.
- tomxor 6y agoConsidering how one or two seeds can be enough if the purpose is simply to acquire the species it seems like an impossible task to prevent that. It's far more difficult than drug smuggling which only works in some reasonable quantity - and becomes more like information smuggling in biological form where you only need one copy.
- 082349872349872 6y agoEven non-reproducing material generates amusing customs stories: http://www.hughesscgheritage.com/probe-is-an-export-diamond-duty-saved-hughes-news-january-6-1979/ http://www.hughesscgheritage.com/probe-is-an-export-diamond-... "The precedent-setting agreement classifies a spacecraft as an export. Once launched, satellite components were judged to be “severed from the possibility of trade within the United States” and therefore considered to be exports, according to Customs officials."