produce quarantine

[passage_paul]

As I work for the USDA I know that there are tons of regulations regarding the movement of Ag products in export and import domestically or internationally. The regulations I work with are ofc assuming the items are going ashore.

Many years ago due to poor inspections.. a potato bug was sent to Mexico from American produce.. and it did massive damage to their crops forcing Mexico to prohibit potatos from USA

Are many of you hit by this much where you have to destroy your produce or other food stuffs?

Does this only matter if you bring the foodstuffs onto land? Can I have chlorinated chicken bbq on a beach in the Med?

Do you only provision enough til the next customs check?

Thanks!

[a64pilot]

I think a lot of it has to do with our speed of travel. Go back and forth to the Bahamas and no one seems care, to much further and your not going to have any produce aboard after a few weeks of traveling.
Checking on what is prohibited before you go would help. I hated to throw away a bunch of sandwich meat when I flew back from Canada, but I didn’t check, so it was my fault.

[Jim Cate]

Many nations have restrictions on what can be kept aboard when you clear in. Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia all have well described lists of prohibited meats and veggies and eggs and honey and..... The troublesome bit is that these rules are enforced idiosyncratically and ya never know how strictly a given officer will pursue them.

If provisioning budget is limited, this can be a problem when going from a place with less expensive items to a more expensive country. Do ya load up, hoping that they will be lenient and allow you to keep the goods for use on board, but risking loosing it all if you encounter a stringent enforcer? I've lost some sleep pondering this!

It's all a part of the cruising life, so learn to live with it.

Jim

[yr2030]

I drove to Canada one year (when they had the panda food epidemic) and they made me dump a brand new unopened bag of dog food before they'd allow us in. Another time, crossing from Kali to Oregon - I had a couple of oranges I had to either eat or toss. I chose to eat them.

[Smokeys Kitchen]

It is tough to keep up on what the current regulations allow. Canada has at various times disallowed any eggs or raw chicken into the country.

Citrus has been especially hard to keep up with. One year we were stopped coming back into the US from Canada (by vehicle) with a few small oranges and got thoroughly searched and scolded. The agent informed us that there was no way to determine the origin of the fruit since there weren’t any individual labels on each piece.

Fast forward to last summer when we were returning via boat. Our only fruit consisted of one lime we had previously purchased in the US and still had the “product of USA” sticker on it. The agent informed us we could not bring in any citrus even if we purchased it in the US. It was considered to be foreign once it left the country regardless of any markings

Now we just bring as little food as possible across

[CaptTom]

I (unintentionally) smuggled an orange across the border from Canada to the US once. I'd forgotten I had one in the fridge. Thank god they didn't check in there. I might still be in prison!

But it got me thinking. The orange I bought in Canada was FROM the US. I'm not sure exactly what harm I would be doing by bringing it back. I ate it and disposed of the evidence as quickly as possible.

[aclmck]

I work on the premise that no fresh veggies,meats,eggs or dairy can cross borders and also no unprocessed foods ie honey,frozen fruits,most raw nuts

The rest is normally allowed especially processed food in packets and tins but not always; some on religious beliefs.

Different folks even in the same country have differing interpretations of the rules

We have always declared all items and at times have been surprised at what they allow us to keep.

Allan

[passage_paul]

I just did a google search and really vague info found. Many things are banned around the world. In USA for instance those chocolate eggs with a toy inside are banned and customs confiscates many of them supposedly. I also see mac and cheese (box type) is banned because of the artificial coloring in some areas. As is farm salmon.. of course given the alternative.. fresh fish.. who would bother.. cheeses..pate..horse meat...lol..

I assume most banned foods relate to import..definitely something I will need to get more into before provisioning. I think the really tight restrictions are when it comes to land...but of course I have no idea.

Thanks for the input everyone!

[Paul L]

Each country you enter has their own rules and their own approach to enforcement for cruising boats. Most are happy to allow you to have fresh produce onboard as long as you argee not to bring it to shore. Some have over the top enforcement, like New Zealand with Australia a second. The Kiwi inspectors left our boat with two, large black garbage bags of produce, dried goods and even a few cans.

[passage_paul]

Thanks Paul...

Thats a bummer to lose a bit of food.. I know that since I will be on a budget I wont able to afford to lose a few hundred every time I go to customs. and then having to replace...

It seems like most folks are just taking whatever they want and deal with the loss if they have to toss it... that could equate to a pretty hefty sum for the long term sailors.

It would be nice to see a one stop shop website that listed and ranked good to go and likely to throw. I'd be fine just knowing what staples are not an issue in most places...

If they started telling me to toss too much stuff.. Id be inclined to turn my happy azz around and go elsewhere..

[belizesailor]

It varies a LOT by country, those with specific Ag concerns are the most strict...like citrus growing areas. Less developed countries also have limited enforcement resources.

More well off island nations, like Caymans and Turks & Caicos, have more regulations and more enforcement resources.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by passage_paul

Thanks Paul...

Thats a bummer to lose a bit of food.. I know that since I will be on a budget I wont able to afford to lose a few hundred every time I go to customs. and then having to replace...

It seems like most folks are just taking whatever they want and deal with the loss if they have to toss it... that could equate to a pretty hefty sum for the long term sailors.

It would be nice to see a one stop shop website that listed and ranked good to go and likely to throw. I'd be fine just knowing what staples are not an issue in most places...

If they started telling me to toss too much stuff.. Id be inclined to turn my happy azz around and go elsewhere..

Actually I pretty much doubt you would be happy to turn around after you just did a tough 10 day passage to New Zealand to get out of the cyclone season.

I mentioned two countries that are pretty anal, (NZ is anal), about food quarantines. The other 25+ we've cleared into have been very lax. They are more interested in alcohol, tobacco and sometimes small ammunitions, than they are food that isn't going ashore.

One reason we lost so much food in NZ was that we precook and freeze meals before passages. On this passage we had an extra crew who had a stomach and a half, so we made a lot of dinners. The passage ended up being quicker than we expected and there was a lot of leftovers. All of these frozen and vacuum bagged meals were taken.

Food quarantine is really a pretty minor hassle for cruising boats. Basic rules and some sample of their enforcement for each country can be found at https://www.noonsite.com/countries/.

From an officialdom point of view adequate length crew visas and customs temporary import times are a far bigger deal than what supplies you can bring in.

[passage_paul]

Thanks Paul!

As i dug deeper into this topic I found very little about food quarantine problems. So I am glad to hear from your experience that it usually isn't much of a thing.

I suppose as well that I wont have too much fresh produce anyhow... just wasn't sure about bans on staples that I would probably be loaded up on...

Right behind a safe and secure vessel.. food stuffs are next on my list. After doing the PCT.. I am well aware of the power of food to comfort and reinvigorate the soul. While I am sure to enjoy some great fish and rice..LOL.. it doesnt come close to a 2 inch Porterhouse and a twice baked potato.

I saw many people quit the trail over food. I imagine alot of people quit sailing because they aren't being comforted with food. I certainly don't expect to be eating exactly the same but I do want some "treats".

[Paul L]

For those not from the US west coast the PCT is the Pacific Crest Trail. A couple of thousand mile trek on the ridge of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountains.

[passage_paul]

Thanks Paul L.

After hiking the trail SOBO i forget that most people have no idea what it is.. I think they know of the Appalachia Trail .. but yea. I guess outside of the hiking crowd or West Coast folks it is probably obscure.

It is a truly great adventure one of the few remaining great journeys. I had thought about doing the Appalachia and the Continental trails to have the trifecta... but when you add up the cost of doing those both.. I would nearly have a boat paid for. I chose to instead begin an even larger adventure and pocket that money to sail away.

I think of the PCT as similar to a large undertaking like RTW sailing. Alone more or less.. making due with the supplies that you have.. making sure you provision properly.. enduring the elements.. dealing with broken/worn out gear... limited sleep.. limited luxury.. on and on and on...Man vs. nature.. Man vs self...

While it hasn't happened too much to me here yet.. I see it occur regularly.. so called "experts" ridiculing newbies as dreamers and seeking to dash their "dreams". Yet many of these experts have no idea of the full life experiences that some newbies have had.

I am pretty sure very few of these experts could endure a 2650 mile long hike over 6 months...but I would offer nothing but encouragement and tips to help in their success. I want everyone who sets a goal to succeed... I don't get cheap thrills off of others failures..

SO on that note I do appreciate your style and the few others on here that are motivated to assist out of a desire to see others succeed. For new folks to the site your positive input keeps us on the trail til the next waypoint!

THANK YOU!