The French Ministry of Agriculture calls for caution regarding seeds sent from China. They should not even be opened, as they could contain invasive species or diseases, reports the regional daily La Voix du Nord.

Many countries are affected by mysterious shipments of seed packets. For several weeks now, individuals in France have been receiving free packages, which they did not order, mailed from China.

The Ministry of Agriculture issued a warning on this issue on Thursday, August 20, via a press release forwarded by La Voix du Nord. It asks the recipients to not open the bags, and definitely not to sow them.

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And for a good reason, “these seeds of unknown origin may be carriers of diseases unknown on French territory or prove to be invasive plants,” it explains.

It also states that “if you receive unwanted seed packets, you are asked to place them in a plastic bag and dispose of this hermetically sealed bag in your household garbage so that the seeds can be destroyed”.

How to explain this seeds packets phenomenon?

In order to further investigate this phenomenon, the Ministry is also requesting that photos of the packing slips and sachets containing the seeds be sent to the National Veterinary and Phytosanitary Investigation Brigade (BNEVP) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food: bnevp.dgal@agriculture.gouv.fr.

It is also recommended that you wash your hands thoroughly, as well as surfaces that have been in contact with the packages and plastic bags.

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Besides France, other countries such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Israel are also facing this surprising trend. But why ship free products all over the world then?

One of the possible answers could come from the Web. E-commerce is fond of the brushing scam. Many online stores allow writing a review of a seller only after the first parcel has been received.

Therefore, it would be enough for someone involved with the seller to have objects of little value, such as seeds, delivered to different locations, and then leave the seller with glowing comments. This would create a false impression that the seller is serious.