Watch Those Souvenirs!
English woolens, Dutch flower bulbs, Canadian meat... what do these have in common? Thay are all foreign agricultural products that may be brought into the United States. However, some foreign agricultural products are prohibited. This is because they can carry destructive plant or animal insects and diseases. Because of this, passenger baggage is inspected at all United States ports of arrival. Pest risk itoms that are found are taken and destroyed by inspectors. For example, one man was try ing to bring in a package of 900 citrus leaves. He wanted them for making tea. When inspected, it was found that 20 of the leaves had citrus blackfly. If these leaves had been taken into the United States, thousands of trees and hundreds of thousands of pounds of fruit might have been damayed. Although some people may feel annoyed or angry when they cannet bring in souvenirs, threr is good reason for it.