Originally posted by the Voice of America.
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USDA Urges Residents to Avoid Planting 'China Seeds'

VOA News

   The U.S. Agriculture Department issued a warning Monday urging all
   citizens who received unsolicited packages of seeds to turn the
   specimens over to the government for testing.
   The mysterious packages allegedly originated from China and have
   appeared in mailboxes nationwide, prompting inquiries at both the state
   and federal level.
   Local news outlets in Kentucky, New York, Idaho and Georgia have
   reported on the mysterious seeds, though the exact number of packets
   delivered is unknown.
   Relations between China and the U.S. have rapidly deteriorated over the
   spring and summer months. The two economic powers are currently engaged
   in inflammatory disputes over the coronavirus, militancy in the South
   China Sea, Hong Kong and TikTok.
   The USDA has refrained from blaming the Chinese government for the
   seeds, instead classifying them as a "brushing scam," in which people
   receive unsolicited items from a seller who then posts false customer
   reviews to boost sales.
   At least two states have defined the phenomenon as "agricultural
   smuggling."

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