Taiwanese Dendrobium Imports Ok’d by APHIS

Chris Beytes

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced at the end of January that it has finalized a rule allowing orchid plants of the dendrobium species in growing medium to be imported from Taiwan into the U.S. This new rule will take effect March 30.

What makes dendrobiums safe to import is the “systems approach.” This approach protects against plant pests and diseases coming into the U.S. by requiring Taiwanese greenhouses to register and go through monitoring of specific sanitation and pest control practices. Participating growers must sign a written agreement agreeing to comply with U.S. regulations and allow for inspectors to inspect their facilities. In addition, each shipment that comes in must have a phytosanitary certificate.

Several other orchid species are already allowed to be imported from Taiwan into the U.S., including phalaenopsis and oncidium. GT