ALBANY – State Senator Jennifer Metzger (D, Rosendale) has a warning to residents who many receive unsolicited packages of seeds in the mail.
If you receive such packages, do not plant them, but rather mail them directly to the US Department of Agriculture.
Households in many states across the country have been receiving packages of seeds from foreign countries, falsely labeled as other products. As chairwoman of the State Senate’s Committee on Agriculture, Metzger advises area residents and all New Yorkers to refrain from handling or planting what could be invasive species that may be harmful to native plants and crops, as well as to livestock and wildlife in the state.
Unsolicited seeds should be immediately sent to the following address with the recipient’s contact information:
Office of the State Plant Health Director of New York
c/o Christopher Zaloga
United States Department of Agriculture
500 New Karner RoadAlbany, NY 12205
For more information, please visit the state’s Ag & Markets’ website site here.
