"NetMax" wrote in message news:Izlhc.51095.
Many items which are legal in Canada
and the northern US are classified as invasive elsewhere. Is the onus on
the buyer or the seller to be aware of local regional statutes?

Wetmax

Usually what happens is that you apply to your local Department of Trade and
industry for an importers license, wether its plants or animals etc etc.
There is usually a small fee involved but its pretty cheap, over here anyway


They'll ask you "exactly" what plants you want to import (latin names), you
send them your list and then they approve or dissaprove certain species.
Once this list is approved you are granted your import license aswell as
some other technical documents regarding importing non-indigenous species.
These get sent to the supplier along with a copy of the Import License. So
the buyer does all the paper work really but the responsibility of reading
that particular country's botanical import rules is up to the supplier as he
will be the one who allows it to leave his shop. For example, in South
Africa we're "not allowed to" import Java Moss or Riccia but you do see it
if you go through the right channels! Tipping off the import inspector etc
etc nudge nudge.

So I suppose the short answer would be the onus is on the buyer to do the
proper research and not waste money on ordering illegal plants, but also on
the supplier to not send requested banned botanicals as per the country's
import laws. hth
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**So long, and thanks for all the fish!**