Boosting seafood exports to Vietnam virtually

Rebecca Weber and Elisa Daun 

International Marketing Program 

Washington seafood has faced some recent challenges, from trade issues with China to reduced demand from restaurant closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the same time, opportunities for seafood have emerged, especially for Washington shellfish products and particularly in Vietnam. But travel restrictions have limited the ability for in-person meetings and activities like trade missions or visits to Washington from potential overseas customers.

Workers sorting mussels.

So WSDA’s International Marketing team looked for other opportunities where virtual tools could help exporters and importers connect.

We selected Vietnam as the first market to try out a virtual export-import visit. It has strong market potential and already ranks among the top 10 markets for Washington exporters. Our in-market representative was keen to work with us, and 2020 marks the 25th anniversary of resumed diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Vietnam.

We decided to kick off this initiative by working with a small group of companies that had worked with us before, since new programs have a higher potential for implementation challenges.

WSDA’s International Marketing Program typically has contractors in several countries who help us and Washington state businesses build markets and navigate import requirements. We worked with our contractor in Vietnam to set up an online matchmaking meeting in late June to help Washington seafood exporters connect with Vietnamese seafood importers.

Trade mission goes online

For the event, we used a video conference platform that features “breakout rooms” allowing participants to hold side conversations. Four Washington export companies and six Vietnamese buyer companies participated, in addition to the WSDA International Marketing team—who spent quite a few hours and practice sessions preparing for launch!

We compiled buyer and supplier company profile information and provided to participants before the meeting, so companies could prepare by becoming familiar with each other.

The program kicked off at 5:30 p.m. in Washington state -- which is 7:30 a.m., the next day, in Vietnam. Everyone was a little outside their regular work hours, but all seemed happy to accommodate the time difference.

We began with all participants together in one session for introductions, a short market briefing, and an update on Vietnamese seafood trends. Then, we used the rest of our two and a half hours for one-on-one matchmaking meetings between participating buyer and supplier companies. Using the breakout room feature, importers and exporters were able to have direct conversations, with the WSDA team joining different sessions to assist as needed. In total, we facilitated 12 individual meetings.

The ability for companies to “meet” in “separate rooms” was well received and we learned a lot from this inaugural program that will improve similar programs in the future.

Future virtual visits

Although no transactions have yet resulted, several companies are corresponding with each other and conversations between them are continuing. The Vietnamese buyers are interested and eager to import Washington shellfish, such as live geoduck, oyster and king crab.

The Washington companies said they found the meetings valuable and worth their time, and all the businesses that participated expressed appreciation for the opportunity to meet, even online.

We are now planning for future similar encounters with new product sectors, such as fresh produce, dairy, and specialty beverages, as well as value-added products. We plan to try this again ourselves, but also working through our trade association, the Western United States Agricultural Trade Association.

Visit agr.wa.gov/international if you own or work for a business interested in learning more about our export assistance programs or future virtual export-import events.

Contrabando de productos agrícolas: una amenaza para las granjas, las huertas y el ecosistema

El viernes 24 de julio, el Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA, Departamento de Agricultura de Washington Sate) recibió dos denuncias, por separado, de residentes que recibieron semillas provenientes de China que no pidieron. En las etiquetas de los paquetes se indicaba que contenían joyas, pero dentro de ellos, los residentes encontraron semillas.

Asimismo, recibimos denuncias de personas que compraron semillas a un minorista en línea, pensando que las semillas eran de los Estados Unidos, pero cuando recibieron los paquetes por correo (algunos de los cuales también tenían etiquetas postales en las que se indicaban artículos que no eran semillas) se enteraron de que las semillas provenían de otro país.

La elusión de las reglamentaciones de importación de plantas y la evasión de las aduanas (por ejemplo, mediante el uso de etiquetas falsas en un paquete y la identificación incorrecta del contenido) con el propósito de introducir material vegetal en los Estados Unidos se conoce como contrabando de productos agrícolas y, además de ser una práctica ilegal, representa una amenaza grave para las granjas, las huertas, los animales y el medioambiente. 

• Podrían ser invasoras. No se permite el ingreso de determinadas plantas al país dado que se sabe que son invasoras y podrían competir con las plantas nativas.
• Podrían encubrir plagas y enfermedades. Las plantas y semillas pueden tener plagas de insectos o enfermedades que podrían devastar las plantas nativas que no poseen los medios para defenderse de ellas. Esto podría redundar en la pérdida de plantas o requerir un mayor uso de pesticidas para controlar estas amenazas.
• Podrían dañar el ganado. Algunas plantas son tóxicas para el ganado y otros animales, incluidos los seres humanos. Si se plantan, podrían ser perjudiciales para el ganado y otros animales.

Por estas razones, el ingreso de material vegetal a los Estados Unidos está estrechamente regulado por el United States Department of Agriculture (USDA, Departamento de Agricultura de Estados Unidos).

 

Qué deben hacer los residentes de Washington

El USDA les solicita a los residentes que coloquen estas semillas y sus empaques en una bolsa de plástico. Se debe colocar la bolsa en un sobre postal y enviarla al USDA para que esta entidad realice una investigación más detallada. Los residentes de Washington pueden enviar al USDA las semillas que sospechan que han ingresado ilegalmente al país, a la siguiente dirección:

USDA-APHIS-PPQ – Attn: Jason Allen
Seattle Plant Inspection Station
835 South 192nd Street, Bldg D, Ste 1600
Seatac, WA 98148

Quienes hayan plantado las semillas deben dejar las plantas donde están y comunicarse con la oficina del director estatal de Sanidad Vegetal del Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS, Servicio de Inspección Sanitaria de Animales y Plantas) para recibir orientación.

Previamente, antes de recibir estas directrices actualizadas, el WSDA les había indicado a los residentes que colocaran las semillas y las plantas que crecieron en bolsas dobles y las tiraran a la basura. Los residentes que tiraron las semillas no necesitan tomar ninguna otra medida.

Las preguntas sobre la entrega de semillas deben enviarse a la oficina del director estatal de Sanidad Vegetal del APHIS. 

¿Es conveniente quemar las semillas?

La quema de semillas no garantiza su eliminación. Esto se debe a que algunas semillas requieren fuego y humo para germinar, por lo que la quema de semillas desconocidas, de hecho, podría mejorar su capacidad de crecimiento. Si no se necesita fuego para ayudar a que una semilla germine, entonces, quemarla durante el tiempo suficiente podría hacer que la semilla se torne inviable. Sin embargo, es posible que una persona común no sea capaz de generar una cantidad suficiente de calor durante una cantidad suficiente de tiempo para eliminar la semilla sin un riesgo sustancial de incendiar otras cosas.

¿Es conveniente moler las semillas?

Sugerimos no abrir los paquetes de semillas en absoluto. Si los abre y coloca las semillas en una licuadora, por ejemplo, se podrían liberar hongos u otras enfermedades de las plantas.

Qué deben hacer los residentes de otros estados

Cualquier persona que se encuentre fuera de Washington State y reciba un paquete no solicitado de semillas provenientes de China, o de otros países, debe comunicarse con la oficina del funcionario estatal para la reglamentación de plantas o del director estatal de Sanidad Vegetal del APHIS. Conserve las semillas y el empaque, incluida la etiqueta postal, hasta que alguien del departamento de agricultura de su estado o del APHIS se comunique con usted para brindarle más instrucciones. No plante ni consuma semillas de orígenes desconocidos.

El Servicio de Inspección Sanitaria de Animales y Plantas (APHIS) del USDA tomó conocimiento de que existen personas en todo el país que recibieron paquetes con semillas no solicitadas provenientes de China. El APHIS está trabajando estrechamente con el Departamento de Aduanas y Protección Fronteriza del Department of Homeland Security (Departamento de Seguridad Nacional) y los departamentos estatales de agricultura a fin de evitar el ingreso ilegal de semillas prohibidas y proteger la agricultura de EE. UU. de las plagas invasoras y las malezas nocivas.

Además del trabajo que realiza el APHIS del USDA, el personal del área de Protección de Plantas del WSDA también está trabajando con minoristas en línea para evitar que esto suceda en el futuro.

Agradecemos a todos los que denunciaron este problema, y les agradecemos por proteger las granjas, las huertas y el medioambiente de Washington contra plantas y plagas potencialmente dañinas.

27/07/2020 - Este blog se actualizó para agregar las secciones sobre la quema y la molienda de semillas.

29/07/2020 - Este blog se actualizó para incluir las nuevas instrucciones del USDA para los residentes acerca de lo que deben hacer con las semillas.

Agricultural smuggling - a threat to farms, gardens, and our ecosystem

Karla Salp

Communications

WSDA received a report of seeds
mailed from China that the 
recipient did not order.

On Friday, July 24, WSDA received two separate reports of residents receiving seeds from China that they did not order. The package labeling indicated that jewelry was inside, but instead the residents found seeds. 

We have also received reports of people who purchased seeds from an online retailer thinking the seeds were from the United States, only to learn when the package arrived in the mail (also usually listing something other than seeds on the mailing labels) that the seeds were from another country.

Avoiding plant import regulations and bypassing customs (for example, by mislabeling a package and identifying its contents as something else) to get plant material into the United States is known as agricultural smuggling and is not only illegal, but poses a serious threat to our farms, gardens, animals, and environment. 

• They could be invasive. Some plants are not allowed to enter the country because they are known to be invasive, and could outcompete native plants.  
• They could harbor pests and diseases. Plants and seeds can have insect or disease pests that could devastate native plants that have no defense against them. This could lead to the loss of plants or require increased pesticide use to manage. 
• They could harm livestock. Some plants are toxic to livestock and other animals – even humans. If they are planted, they could be harmful to livestock and other animals. 

For these reasons, bringing plant material into the United States is closely regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). 

What Washington residents should do

USDA is asking residents to place these seeds and their packaging in a plastic bag. Place the bag in a mailing envelope and send to USDA for further investigation. Washington residents can submit seeds they suspect have entered the country illegally to USDA at the following address:

USDA-APHIS-PPQ – Attn: Jason Allen

Seattle Plant Inspection Station

835 South 192nd Street, Bldg D, Ste 1600

Seatac, WA 98148. 

Those who have planted the seeds should leave the plants where they are and contact the APHIS State Plant Health Director for guidance. 

WSDA had previously instructed residents to double bag and dispose of the seeds and plants grown from them in the trash before receiving this updated guidance. Residents who disposed of seeds do not need to take any further action. 

Questions about submitting seeds should be sent to the APHIS State Plant Health Director.

What about burning the seeds? 

Burning seeds is not a guaranteed way to kill the seeds. Some seeds actually require fire and smoke to germinate, so burning an unknown seed could actually improve its ability to grow. If fire is not needed to help a seed germinate, then with enough time, fire could make the seed unviable. However, the average person may not be able to generate enough heat for long enough to kill the seed without a substantial risk to catching other things on fire. 

What about grinding up the seeds?

We suggest that you do not open the seed packets at all. Opening and putting the seeds through a blender, for example, could release fungal or other plant diseases. 

What residents in other states should do

Anyone outside of Washington State who receives an unsolicited package of seeds from China or other countries should contact their state plant regulatory official or APHIS State plant health director. Please hold onto the seeds and packaging, including the mailing label, until someone from your state department of agriculture or APHIS contacts you with further instructions. Do not plant or consume seeds from unknown origins.

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is aware that people across the country have received unsolicited packages of seed from China. APHIS is working closely with the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection and State departments of agriculture to prevent the unlawful entry of prohibited seeds and protect U.S. agriculture from invasive pests and noxious weeds.

In addition to the work that USDA APHIS is doing, WSDA’s Plant Protection staff are also working with online retailers to prevent this from happening in the future. 

Thank you to everyone who has reported this issue and thank you for protecting Washington’s farms, gardens, and environment from potentially harmful plants and pests. 

7/27/2020 - This blog was updated to add the sections on burning and grinding seeds. 

7/29/2020 - This blog was updated to reflect new instructions from USDA for residents on what to do with the seeds. 

Why don't we import Asian honey bees?

Chris Looney

WSDA Entomology Lab

Photo credit: Flickr user budak

While Eastern honey bees do have a defense against Asian giant hornets, importing them into the United States would do more harm than good. 

The Eastern honey bee, Apis cerana, is one of about 12 different cavity and open-nesting honey bee species that occur in Asia. Apis cerana is widely kept by beekeepers in Asia, but in commercial operations it has been mostly replaced throughout its range by the western honey bee, Apis mellifera. 

The western honey bee, which is native to Europe, Africa, and western and central Asia, has been widely adopted because of its ability to produce higher honey yields than A. cerana. Other factors that make A. cerana difficult to manage for large-scale commercial pollination and honey production include seasonal migration, and a tendency to “abscond” (abandon their hive) when disturbed.

There are other reasons to be wary of importing Apis cerana. Although Apis cerana has effective behavioral defenses against the Asian giant hornet, it is also host to multiple parasitic mites that can destroy colonies of A. mellifera. One of these, Tropilaelaps clareae, has not yet reached Europe or the Americas. Many entomologists believe that Tropilaelaps could be more devastating to U.S. honey bees than the Varroa mite, and annual nationwide monitoring of U.S. honey bee populations to prevent the establishment of this parasite is a high priority of USDA-APHIS.

Importing A. cerana might also provide a pathway for bee viruses to enter the U.S., creating a high risk to both managed Apis mellifera populations and native bee species. Finally, Apis cerana itself could be problematic. After being introduced to Australia and Papua New Guinea, it became highly invasive and displaced native bee species. All efforts to suppress it have so far failed.

Intentionally introducing A. cerana would pose a huge risk to U.S. agriculture and native bees, and is not currently a viable solution to managing Asian giant hornets even if they become established. It is also illegal under federal law.

As a final note, remember that beekeepers still raise western honey bees in places where Asian giant hornet is native. It takes more resources, but the industry is viable.

Contributed by Katie Buckley, Steve Sheppard, Brandon Hopkins, and Chris Looney

Can praying mantis control or kill Asian giant hornets?

Chris Looney

WSDA Entomology Lab

A popular and gruesome video on the internet shows a large praying mantis attacking and quickly consuming an Asian giant hornet. This video, plus the predatory reputation of mantises in general, has many people wondering why we can’t just use this natural control to deal with Asian giant hornets. 

There are a few reasons why this is not likely to be a useful strategy. First, the hornet in the video was anesthetized before filming. While it is certainly possible that a mantis could kill an Asian giant hornet in the field, it is also likely that the hornet would kill the mantis. In fact, praying mantises are a well-documented food source for Asian giant hornets in their native range.

Even if mantises were more effective predators of Asian giant hornets, it is very difficult to maintain high enough populations of general predators to control pest insects. Consider that each hornet nest might have a few hundred active workers at maximum colony size, and that there may be multiple colonies active in the same area at the same time. A praying mantis can only eat so many insects, and they would have to be in the right place at the right time to catch one. There is no evidence that they would preferentially seek hornets or hornet nests. 

Other aspects of their biology that make them unlikely to control Asian giant hornet if it becomes established include a slow reproductive rate for the mantises and the fact that they will eat any insect they happen upon - in fact, they seem to prefer grasshoppers and related insects. If that rare hornet-praying mantis encounter even happens, they might already be satiated from eating other insects - including honey bees. The presence of praying mantises also changes honey bee behavior; honey bees will avoid foraging when they see praying mantises. Saturating the landscape with praying mantises (which would require an industrial insect-rearing facility) would likely have negative impacts on managed pollinators and many native insect species.

The two large praying mantises in Washington State are introduced species, and while they are an interesting and acceptable presence in our gardens, they aren’t effective or specialized enough to control any species of insect – including Asian giant hornets – at a large scale. Consider learning about our native mantis, which is uncommon and difficult to find. 

Contributed by Katie Buckley, Steve Sheppard, Brandon Hopkins, and Chris Looney