Hobby sellers - plant passports?

LM2020

November2 said:

Have never heard of this before.  I recently sold half a dozen plants on Ebay, offshoots of a plant I have.  I decided to put them on my Business account as I didn't want to cause problems for my Private for selling more than one of an item.  Nothing flagged up on Ebay warning me I had to have a passport.   How are people who are just selling 2 or 3 plants a year supposed to know about this passport?    To comply with the law shouldn't Ebay be banning all plant sales Private and Business with postage listed if they have no passport?   What about Facebook, Gumtree, people can list collect but then post anyway.  How will the Government Dept police it?  Will there be fines for people selling 'a' plant, will an inspector turn up to find 6 plants in a tray on someone's windowsill, how can they stop people posting a plant to a relative?    Surely the passport is for people 'dealing' in plants on a regular basis who sell a minimum number per week.    

Thank you for your reply. I only found out about it by chance - I noticed another seller mentioning plant passports on their listing and was confused as I thought that was only for certain species and international sales so I checked on google and discovered the new legislation. I had checked the legislation when I sold plants for the first time a couple of years ago but then you only needed passports for certain plant species (which I didn't have) - I didn't realise there had been a change. I think a lot of private sellers (and buyers) on ebay will be unaware especially as there isn't a message that flags up when you post a listing. From what I've read I think the passport is only required when money is changing hands so its ok if for example you're posting a plant as a gift to a relative.

MSE_Laura_F

Hello folks,

I'm resurrecting this thread with some information about plant passports so that it's all in one place for anyone who searches for it in the Forum.

I emailed DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and they've confirmed the rules.

If you’re selling to customers for personal use, you WILL need a plant passport for:

• ‘Distance contracts’, eg, online sales
• Within Great Britain, Isle of Man or Channel Islands.
  
  

And this applies to:

• All plants for planting, including cuttings (with the exception of seeds in certain circumstances).

Some extra info:

• If somebody buys a plant online but picks it up in person, a plant passport is still required as the 'contract' occurred online. If the payment took place in person then it would no longer fall under the remit of 'distance contracts'.
• A plant passport is not required if no money is involved, eg, if you're posting a plant as a gift to someone for their personal use.
  
  

If you’re unsure about needing a passport, you can check with:

• APHA at planthealth.info@apha.gov.uk or
• Forestry Commission at plant.health@forestrycommission.gov.uk.
• There is also guidance for plants hobbyists on the Plant Health Portal.