TOPIC: Illegal to grow ginseng in Ontario Canada

In Canada as of 2008 it has been illegal to grow ginseng unless it it under shade and fees must be paid to the OGGA OF 100 dollars an acre. Growing in the forest of any type is considered wild ginseng and protected by the endangered species act. Violaters will be classed as felons if root is sold, punishable by one year and 250000 dollars.
This will be coming your way someday! The only way around this is to start your own associations that set out regulations that separate forest growers from wild harvesters. Small fees would need to be paid to the group too keep them afloat and fight any legal issues.

I have been orded to leave thousands of dollars of root in the ground for poachers. Please take this serious! This will happen as wild becomes more endangered in the USA.

GUY

Well that is not good news. I am hesitant of forming associations. The worst example is the Canadian Maple Syrup Cartel which regulates production, storage and sales. It has evolved into having draconian police powers. You can read about it here www.nytimes.com/2015/08/23/business/inte...h-with-law.html?_r=0

Your right it can be a bitch to form agreements between a bunch of people.
You can fight the endangered species act all by your self, if your pockets got a few extra million in them.

The ginseng growers association in Canada has monopolized the industry in Ontario.
To avoid this you need state and county organizations.

Guy

Guy, That is ridiculous. How can your government keep you from growing ginseng on your own property? What are they thinking, it would only help the ginseng population- no way it would hurt anything. It seems like they could have made exceptions for people already growing. I feel bad for you.

Thanks, thier reasoning is that if you can grow ginseng
then wild could grow, therefore you are disturbing the environment where wild could grow. Which is an offense of the endangered species act.
I know that a unified group with money and a proper plan as I mentioned, could send people to the meetings and change things.
Quebec has this and they are allowed to grow in the forest.

This will be an issue with you guys.Behind the scene this is happening already, some people that are on this site are aware of this and have help implement the rules you are governed by now.But when over harvesting of the wild population changes the status, this type of crap will effect the freedom you now have.

Guy

Unfortunately, there seems to be precious few folks who will lend their support to any sort of grass roots organization -even when they can do so by remaining anonymous publicly.

I know some of you will not like this, but a good second step besides an assoc. would be to limit harvest of wild seng to 10 years minimum. I thought about how many more berries go in the ground every year, because of this law here in Vermont. I have limited myself to this for years but have seen guys at buyers with tiny little root and know they are just hurting themselves in the long run. 5 year old root does not put out near the berries that those 8-15 year old plants. This would lead to more root in the long run and lessen the likely excessive rules like in Canada if numbers increase due to more berries getting in the ground.

Thanks for the heads up Guy.

Hard to argue with that logic Maya.

maya wrote:

I know some of you will not like this, but a good second step besides an assoc. would be to limit harvest of wild seng to 10 years minimum. I thought about how many more berries go in the ground every year, because of this law here in Vermont. I have limited myself to this for years but have seen guys at buyers with tiny little root and know they are just hurting themselves in the long run. 5 year old root does not put out near the berries that those 8-15 year old plants. This would lead to more root in the long run and lessen the likely excessive rules like in Canada if numbers increase due to more berries getting in the ground.

Thanks for the heads up Guy.

Just like when they increase the keeper size for fish in a lake, everyone complains for a few years....till they start catching more and larger fish.

BCastle wrote:

Unfortunately, there seems to be precious few folks who will lend their support to any sort of grass roots organization -even when they can do so by remaining anonymous publicly.

I don't get it. I wonder just what is the problem.