Pender County residents urged to watch for unsolicited seed packets

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Pender County Cooperative Extension is urging residents to stay alert after reports that unsolicited seed packets are once again being mailed to U.S. addresses.

Similar incidents were reported nationwide in 2020, when mysterious seed packets believed to have originated from China arrived at homes across the country. Earlier this year, the Texas Department of Agriculture confirmed that comparable shipments have resumed, with 16 seed packets recently delivered to locations across Texas.

So far, no unsolicited seed packets have been reported in North Carolina. Even so, Pender County Cooperative Extension is encouraging residents in Pender County and surrounding areas to closely monitor their mail and take immediate action if an unexpected packet of seeds arrives.

Officials stress that anyone who receives an unsolicited seed packet should not open it and should not plant the seeds. Instead, residents are asked to contact a consumer horticulture agent at a Cooperative Extension office in Onslow, New Hanover, or Brunswick counties, or deliver the unopened packet to the NC Cooperative Extension Office at 801 S. Walker Street in Burgaw.

Unsolicited seeds can pose serious risks to agriculture, the environment, and native plant species. Introducing unknown or invasive plants can spread pests, plant diseases, and weeds that threaten crops and landscapes.

Pender County Cooperative Extension says it will coordinate the proper handling and reporting of any suspected seed packets in cooperation with state and federal agricultural officials.