Mystery seed packets from China are back, Texas Ag Commissioner warns

AUSTIN, Texas - Mystery seed packets are back, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller says.

What we know:

Miller says that the Texas Department of Agriculture recently was alerted to a mystery package containing unidentified seeds and a liquid container sent unsolicited from China.

The package was sent to Clute, Texas, in Brazoria County, just under 60 miles south of Houston and about 10 miles from the shores of the Gulf of Mexico.

The TDA forwarded the package and its contents to the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) division for thorough identification and testing.

What they're saying:

"Folks, please take this matter seriously. Receiving any unsolicited liquid or chemical at your doorstep poses a significant risk to the health of you and your family. We also cannot allow unidentified seeds to enter Texas. If planted, invasive plant species will substantially harm the Texas agriculture industry. The TDA will work diligently to identify these unknown seeds and liquids to protect Texas residents," said Commissioner Miller.

The backstory:

Mystery seed packets from China showed up in 2020, with Miller warning about them being mailed to multiple states and falsely labeled as jewelry or toys. The packages popped up in more than 30 states, including Texas.

Mystery seeds also showed up in Virginia about the same time, with officials saying the packages were sent by mail, possibly with Chinese writing on them. A Georgia resident spoke to FOX 5 Atlanta saying she got a package as well.

Agriculture experts voiced concerns about the seeds, in particular about them being for invasive plant species.

Officials warn about mysterious seed shipments from China

Agriculture officials in multiple states issued warnings about unsolicited shipments of foreign seeds and advised people not to plant them.

An initial test in Florida determined some of those seeds in 2020 were just water lilies, but Dr. Kevin Ong, plant pathologist with Texas A&M AgriLife, told FOX 7 Austin's Rudy Koski at the time that planting them is something you should not do.

"if it’s something exotic or have something we don’t even find in the United States to take over an area, and potentially choke out our native plants or, worst case scenario, choke out our agricultural fields and create additional problems in term of managing for those types of weeds," said Dr. Ong.

Big picture view:

The USPS briefly paused accepting inbound packages from China and Hong Kong, but has resumed service effective Feb. 5. USPS says that it and Customs and Border Protection are working to implement "an efficient collection mechanism" for the new China tariffs.

President Donald Trump recently implemented a 10% tariff on all imports from China, which went into effect on Tuesday. Trump also announced tariffs against Canada and Mexico, but these have been suspended for a month while border negotiations take place.