Questions about PPQ-526?

[SeaNettle]

Hello, I'm rather new around here but have a pretty alright collection of millipedes. I'm looking to apply for a PPQ-526 so that I can import some species that aren't domestically available in the US though I have concerns and confusion about getting the permit.

Firstly if anyone here has successfully applied for the permit, I'd like to hear about it. Did you apply for one species? Was it expensive to import said species? Does importing a species allow you to legally breed them and trade them to others that may be looking for them? Are there unforeseen costs for importation other than the permit cost?

Anyways thanks for being such a warm, welcoming community.

 

[ThemantismanofPA]

Same

 

[chanda]

These permits are primarily granted to institutions for research purposes, not to hobbyists who just want to add exotic species to their collections. Even if you were to get a permit, it most certainly would not permit you to breed and distribute the organisms imported, effectively circumventing the permit process for everyone you might distribute them to. These permits and restrictions exist to prevent potentially invasive/destructive pests being released, accidentally or otherwise.

Per the standards safeguards listed on the permit (https://www.aphis.usda.gov/library/forms/pdf/PPQ_526.pdf):

1. All pests must be shipped in sturdy, escape-proof containers.
2. Upon receipt of pests, all packing material media, substrate, soil, and shipping containers shall be sterilized or destroyed immediately after removing pests.
3. Pests shall be kept only within the laboratory or designated area at the permittee’s address.
4. No living pests kept under this permit shall be removed from the confined area except by prior approval from State and Federal regulatory officials.
5. Without prior notice and during reasonable hours, authorized PPQ and State regulatory officials shall be allowed to inspect the conditions under which the pests are kept.
6. All pests kept under this permit shall be destroyed at the completion of the intended use, and not later than the expiration date, unless an extension is granted by the issuing office.
7. All necessary precautions must be taken to prevent escape of pests. In the event of an escape, please notify: USDA/APHIS, Plant Protection and Quarantine, Permits and Risk Assessment, Unit 133, Riverdale, Maryland 20737 (Phone: 866-524-5421)

 

[SeaNettle]

These permits are primarily granted to institutions for research purposes, not to hobbyists who just want to add exotic species to their collections. Even if you were to get a permit, it most certainly would not permit you to breed and distribute the organisms imported, effectively circumventing the permit process for everyone you might distribute them to. These permits and restrictions exist to prevent potentially invasive/destructive pests being released, accidentally or otherwise.

Per the standards safeguards listed on the permit (https://www.aphis.usda.gov/library/forms/pdf/PPQ_526.pdf):

1. All pests must be shipped in sturdy, escape-proof containers.
2. Upon receipt of pests, all packing material media, substrate, soil, and shipping containers shall be sterilized or destroyed immediately after removing pests.
3. Pests shall be kept only within the laboratory or designated area at the permittee’s address.
4. No living pests kept under this permit shall be removed from the confined area except by prior approval from State and Federal regulatory officials.
5. Without prior notice and during reasonable hours, authorized PPQ and State regulatory officials shall be allowed to inspect the conditions under which the pests are kept.
6. All pests kept under this permit shall be destroyed at the completion of the intended use, and not later than the expiration date, unless an extension is granted by the issuing office.
7. All necessary precautions must be taken to prevent escape of pests. In the event of an escape, please notify: USDA/APHIS, Plant Protection and Quarantine, Permits and Risk Assessment, Unit 133, Riverdale, Maryland 20737 (Phone: 866-524-5421)

This is an excellent answer. I appreciate your reply. I was generally confused at the viability of getting a permit. I've heard of people trying to keep ant colonies and applying for the permit for just that purpose, but I believe that was just for domestic transport. So I was curious to find out if it worked a similar way.

 

[The Mantis Menagerie]

Hello, I'm rather new around here but have a pretty alright collection of millipedes. I'm looking to apply for a PPQ-526 so that I can import some species that aren't domestically available in the US though I have concerns and confusion about getting the permit.

Firstly if anyone here has successfully applied for the permit, I'd like to hear about it. Did you apply for one species? Was it expensive to import said species? Does importing a species allow you to legally breed them and trade them to others that may be looking for them? Are there unforeseen costs for importation other than the permit cost?

Anyways thanks for being such a warm, welcoming community.

I hold valid USDA PPQ 526 permits for over half a dozen exotic millipedes species, including the legally ambiguous Archispirostreptus gigas. I am a private hobbyists, and I do not have a containments facility (yet...). Nevertheless, I have the ability to acquire the millipedes listed on my permits from anywhere in the Continental US. I am authorized to breed them, and I am able to send them to anyone, provided the recipient also has the proper permits necessary to own them. I have not done imports myself. Once you have the permits, you can try to reach out to museums, and there is a single supplier in the US who handles most of the importations for all the museum in the country. If you can arrange to add your request to a museum's order, then can save on shipping, as most museums do bulk orders. Importing yourself is incredibly expensive. I have not done it myself, but based on conversations with some who have, it will likely exceed a thousand dollars per import. When concerning import of wildlife, this falls under the jurisdiction of FWS, and while USDA-APHIS permits are free, the FWS charges about $100 just for an application.

In conclusion, yes, hobbyists can acquire USDA PPQ 526 permits, and authorization for domestic, interstate transports can still allow you to acquire imported organisms if you work with an importer.

 

[The Mantis Menagerie]

Oh, here are copies of my permits with the personal information redacted.
Permit 1 -- The Mantis Menagerie
Permit 2 -- The Mantis Menagerie

 

[SeaNettle]

I hold valid USDA PPQ 526 permits for over half a dozen exotic millipedes species, including the legally ambiguous Archispirostreptus gigas. I am a private hobbyists, and I do not have a containments facility (yet...). Nevertheless, I have the ability to acquire the millipedes listed on my permits from anywhere in the Continental US. I am authorized to breed them, and I am able to send them to anyone, provided the recipient also has the proper permits necessary to own them. I have not done imports myself. Once you have the permits, you can try to reach out to museums, and there is a single supplier in the US who handles most of the importations for all the museum in the country. If you can arrange to add your request to a museum's order, then can save on shipping, as most museums do bulk orders. Importing yourself is incredibly expensive. I have not done it myself, but based on conversations with some who have, it will likely exceed a thousand dollars per import. When concerning import of wildlife, this falls under the jurisdiction of FWS, and while USDA-APHIS permits are free, the FWS charges about $100 just for an application.

In conclusion, yes, hobbyists can acquire USDA PPQ 526 permits, and authorization for domestic, interstate transports can still allow you to acquire imported organisms if you work with an importer.

This is incredibly interesting. I'd love to reach out to you and ask some more specific questions if that's something you would be alright with.

 

[The Mantis Menagerie]

This is incredibly interesting. I'd love to reach out to you and ask some more specific questions if that's something you would be alright with.

I would be happy to try to help you with this. I have guided other hobbyists recently.