Moving Country & Expanding Collection Solved

[PMCA88]

Hi all, new to this forum.

I currently have a few low maintenence succulents (e.g. Xmas Cactus) at home here in Aberdeen and have kept them for years. I would love to expand my collection and to purchase some more interesing varieties however there is a possibility that I will move country, perhaps to the USA/Canada/Australia, in the coming 5yrs. My query is this- lets say I do move and move all of my household items in a shipping container (or whatever is the standard way to move a household abroad). Will I be able to bring my plants (lets say <10) or would this be illegal? There wouldnt be much point in me expanding my plant collection if I had to scrap it all to move in a few years...

Many thanks for your time and advice.

Peter

[DaveW]

You would run foul of CITES and the need for expensive certification, which wold probably cost more than your present plants are worth, even if you can get it. All cacti are on CITES Appendix I or II.

https://www.cites.org/eng/disc/how.php

Australia too is a hard place to get cacti into I am told as I believe they quarantine them for a time at your expense.

Far better to wait and buy a new collection when you get there. However seed travels freely over most borders therefore you could perhaps take that,

[BrianMc]

. However seed travels freely over most borders therefore you could perhaps take that,

Not to Australia it doesn't!


Unless you are sure that you would be moving it would be a shame to miss out on 5 years of growing time. Why not try a few different plants to see how they grow. Don't go mad, but take them on knowing that it will be just a short term ownership. If you don't have too many they should be easy to find new homes for when the time comes.

[Aiko]

. However seed travels freely over most borders therefore you could perhaps take that,

Not to Australia it doesn't!

There are species on the safe list for Australia and New Zealand, and you can put these names down on a CN22 customs form. Other species are fine too, just put a 'correct' species name on the label. Customs will not know if it is really Astrophytum myriostigma (it's on the safe list) in there.

[srboisvert]

When I moved from the UK to the USA I sold my collection off on ebay.

I tried to figure how save some plants but the process is so confusing and onerous and with the consequences of error being federal jail time, deportation and life destruction I decided no plant was worth it.

Also for reference shipping times are pretty long for big boxes (like a couple months or so) and it pretty pricey so it might not even be worth it from a price perspective.

I wouldn't ship plants but even knowing I would be getting rid of my collection in 5 years I would still buy plants.

[DaveW]

Surprising what seeds do go through the post to Australia Brian as Aico says. Unless it has changed, when my friend lived there a decade or so ago he used to buy in seed from the European and American seed merchants for his cactus society there and most got through, provided it did not say Opuntia on the packet! Plants are different since the authorities evidently do their best to kill any legally imported by excessive fumigation!

[PMCA88]

Many thanks for all of your responses. You have been very helpful and provided valuable insight. I think that I will get a few more plants as I come across them, rather than seeking out specialist plants. I will look forward to building up my collection in the future. Many thanks, Peter