Beware of the USDA.
[h=2]The ‘Lemon Tree Lady’ Speaks Out About USDA Threats Over TREE[/h]
A special HFA interview with Bridget Donovan,
aka “The Lemon Tree Lady,” USDA’s Most Wanted. Or rather, her little beloved lemon tree was. Last week, we reported the story of the
USDA demanding her tree three years after a quarantine, but the
real USDA mode of operation is in the details below -
we can’t make this stuff up!
Did you know she was facing fines up to
$60,000 and a federal raid if she did not comply? (Remember the USDA’s $
4 million dollar bunnies?) They invaded her privacy, tracked
her down through her purchases, and sternly warned they would get that tree one way or another. It appears she is on a “citrus watch list.”
Three years ago, I read an article in the local newspaper about Meyer Lemon Trees. It said how easy they were to grow inside, and how they brightened up the winters with sweet smelling flowers and fruit. I love gardening, my young niece shares my love of gardening, so it seemed the perfect thing to buy. I looked online, and found the company, meyerlemontree.com. It listed the states they could not ship to, and since Wisconsin was not one of them, I felt safe in ordering. It was clearly a big company, and I did not in a million years think anything was wrong in buying from them.
The tree arrived in great shape, and it just took off. My whole family enjoyed the flowers and the sweet smell, and it was very exciting to watch the lemons as they grew. I spent a lot of time on this tree. It clearly paid off because it was a very healthy tree. Then, three years later, out of the blue, I received a letter from the USDA.
It Included a flyer stating that my tree would be seized, I would not be compensated by the government, and that it would be destroyed. The fact sheet also said they verified, with federal law enforcement databases, that I was at the current address. It went on to state that while I would not face any penalties “at this point” if I were found to be in possession of regulated citrus again,
I could face a fine of $1100 to $60,000. The letter asked me to call the agent from the USDA to discuss this matter. It stated the issue was with citrus greening and citrus canker.
I asked if they had a warrant in order to obtain this tree, and she said no.
I asked what would happen if I declined to give it up, and she said no one had ever done that before and she would have to talk to her supervisor. I asked her to do so.
I called back the next day, and she told me that while they were hoping I would voluntarily give up the tree, it wasn’t a choice,
it was an order.
I again asked what would happen, and she said she would have someone call me back. A supervisor did, and she told me
that they were going to get the tree one or way or the other, and if I refused, they
would quarantine it, obtain a warrant, and bring federal law enforcement officers to my house to take the tree.
http://healthfreedoms.org/2011/09/24/the-lemon-tree-lady-speaks-out-about-usda-threats-over-tree/
