Henk Hugo
12-06-2009, 08:31
There has been a lot of discussions lately around the so called plant black list but I have just reconfirmed with the Department of Agriculture that issues import permits that the list they provide with each permit is not a blacklist but actually an import prohibited list.
How do they get to conclusion that a certain plant should not be imported? They take the list of plants that you have applied for and they do what they call a “weed risk assessment”. This assessment is based on studies done overseas (mostly tropics) on the invasiveness of these plants.
This exercise is mostly a waste of time as most of the plants on this list is actually being grown in aquaculture farms locally.
When asked about the so called black list of aquatic plants I was told that it is upto each provice to do their own one and at the moment the only aquatic plants 100% illegal are the ones listed on the fish black list:
Azolla Spp Azolla
Egeria Densa Pond Weed
Myrophyllum Aquaticum Parrots Feather
Salvinia Molesta Kariba Weed
Pistia Stratiotes Water Lettuce
Eichornia Crassipes Water Hyacinth
…. And now we know….
How do they get to conclusion that a certain plant should not be imported? They take the list of plants that you have applied for and they do what they call a “weed risk assessment”. This assessment is based on studies done overseas (mostly tropics) on the invasiveness of these plants.
This exercise is mostly a waste of time as most of the plants on this list is actually being grown in aquaculture farms locally.
When asked about the so called black list of aquatic plants I was told that it is upto each provice to do their own one and at the moment the only aquatic plants 100% illegal are the ones listed on the fish black list:
Azolla Spp Azolla
Egeria Densa Pond Weed
Myrophyllum Aquaticum Parrots Feather
Salvinia Molesta Kariba Weed
Pistia Stratiotes Water Lettuce
Eichornia Crassipes Water Hyacinth
…. And now we know….