Customs vs. Instrument Construction Materials - No Mando Content

[allenhopkins]

My friend Evy in NYCity sent me an NPR story about a musician who plays the ney and other Middle Eastern end-blown flutes, losing all his instruments going through Customs in New York. Here's a link.

Not clear what happened to the instruments, and actually Customs may have had nothing to do with it. What interested me, besides the really depressing story, was the fact that Customs went through Razgui's luggage, and removed and destroyed bamboo that he'd brought back to make other flutes (he builds all his own instruments). This was done under Dept. of Agriculture regulations, to protect the US from contamination by "foreign agricultural products."

Evy also included this comment from someone familiar with instrument construction:

One of the many comments on this from the EEFC discussion list:

Glad NPR finally pointed out what I suspected all along, the Department
of Agriculture got involved. His critical mistake is he put new bamboo in
the same container as his neys, so as far as DoA was concerned, they were
all contaminated and had to be destroyed.

Every instrument maker I know tells tales of 200 year old matched Italian
spruce violin tops or kiln dried figured boxwood flute blanks destroyed
by DoA. They are tasked with protecting American agriculture and there is
no appeal. They can preemptively destroy any "agricultural product" they
consider a threat. An African drummer from Seattle had all his drums,
clothes and effects seized and destroyed because he was coming from an
African country with endemic anthrax and his drum heads had fur on them.
This problem has been going on for at least 40 years and everybody that
has taken DoA to court has lost.

Bottom line is if you are bringing back anything that is not obviously a
finished article from overseas, use FedEx.

Has anyone had experience with inability to bring wood etc. into the US?

[Bluetickhound]

I must be lucky because I brought back some (wood and shell) items from both Panama and Guatemala that probably should have been confiscated. Nothing illegal by any means and none of it could really be used for making instruments (Not in the quantity i brought any way) but Atlanta Hartsfield is probably so busy looking for dope and Cuban cigars my little artifacts escaped notice...

[Phil Goodson]

I must be lucky .... but Atlanta Hartsfield is probably so busy looking for dope and Cuban cigars my little artifacts escaped notice...

Uh.... who's that knocking at your back door???

[David Newton]

Container loads of bamboo flooring and other bamboo made stuff comes into the USA every day.
Too bad, but this kind of thing is only going to increase in the future.
Most instrument builders have quit exporting because the regulations make it too burdensome, expensive, and risky. But container loads of cheap instruments just fly into the country.

[sebastiaan56]

We have a similar situation here in Aust. I must say I support strong bio protection measures as I have seen the damage uncontrolled foreign species can do. A friend of mine did her PhD on the genetic variability on Fireweed and it is a real risk to most pasture.

At least they notify us here if something is to be impounded or destroyed. There was an NPR report about these flutes. The owner also said they may have been stolen. He didn't know. I guess the lesson is to provide plenty of the documentation with the goods.

[peter.coombe]

I don't know about the USA, but I have been importing wood into Australia for many years, and much of it comes from the USA. We certainly do have a very strict quarantine service, but it is not so difficult to comply with the requirements. So long as there is no rot, no worm holes, no insects and no bark there is no problem. Even then, if there is a problem they will fumigate it for you if you pay a fee and then it can come into the country. Clean wood is not a risk, bamboo is another matter. Intact bamboo is hollow and any number of critters can hide inside.

[Astabeth]

Mmmmm - fumigated flute. Tasty!

Seriously, they should have offered him an option besides destruction. I agree that quarantine services are necessary, and if the fresh bamboo was packaged with the flutes, some sort of further inspection or treatment, even at the musician's expense, would seem more reasonable.

[allenhopkins]

...Seriously, they should have offered him an option besides destruction. I agree that quarantine services are necessary, and if the fresh bamboo was packaged with the flutes, some sort of further inspection or treatment, even at the musician's expense, would seem more reasonable.

Perusing the NPR story, appears that his completed flutes were stored in a separate case, which may just have been stolen. The bamboo "raw materials" were in his personal luggage, which was opened in Customs; the bamboo, and apparently clothing material that was in contact with it, was removed and destroyed.

Peter C above describes a reasonable solution: fumigation of the "agricultural materials" to avoid insect or bacterial contamination. Here in NY we're suffering the depredations of the Asian emerald ash borer, which is decimating ash groves and requiring strenuous chemical control measures. So I understand the need to try to keep out "foreign pests," but it does seem that some bamboo stalks in a musician's luggage could be processed in a manner other than complete destruction.

Story makes me wonder why Razgui didn't treat the case with his completed flutes as carry-on; seems it would have fit in an overhead, and many airlines do make accommodations for musicians' instruments.

[sebastiaan56]

Great point Allen, I would also add that Ney players are usually competent at making these flutes as well so apart from time lost on tweaking these items dont appear to be irreplaceable antiques. I really wonder what the declared $ value would be.