Everything from hunting trophies to snake wine and snakeskin shoes are things that are stored in the Norwegian Environment Agency’s warehouse in Trondheim. A good part of what Norwegian customs officers stop at the border end up here. Even things that may initially seem completely harmless, such as a simple coral, can be seized at customs. – The most important request we have for those who are out and about is that you do not buy any of the local plant and animal species or souvenirs. That’s what Håkon Holand, senior advisor at the Norwegian Environment Agency, says. – There are such strict regulations, and you must have the necessary permits to get it into Norway. If you don’t have it, you risk punishment. Corals and skulls can also be illegal to import into Norway Photo: Morten Andersen / news Risk of large fines The regulations cover approximately six thousand animal species and 33 thousand plant species. If you bring things into Norway without the necessary permits, you can run the risk that the holiday trip will be quite a bit more expensive than it was in the first place. – If you are caught in Norway with illegally imported copies, you can risk fines of anywhere between NOK 3,000 and 20,000, says Håland. Although a small coral you buy at a market may initially seem harmless, Holand is concerned that it is all the small purchases that add up to big ones. – Of course everyone buys a small coral, so in the end there may not be that much coral reef left. Example of things that are illegal to bring into Norway You cannot bring goods that contain or are made from endangered plant or animal species into or out of Norway without a special permit. Examples of endangered animal and plant species (CITES) are wolves, foxes, wolverines, eggs from endangered bird species, elephants, leopards, tigers, some crocodile and snake species, some orchids and cacti. You can get more information about endangered animal and plant species and how to apply for a permit from the Norwegian Environment Agency. Source: Norwegian Customs Luxury shoes, nutritional supplements and whole animals But it’s not just smaller things like corals that the Norwegian Environment Agency has in stock. Shoes from Gucci, nutritional supplements to help men with prostate problems and a stuffed Tiger have also found their way in here. – The tiger was seized here in Norway after it was illegally imported from Sweden. A whole tiger is not the only exotic feline that has been stopped on its way into Norway Photo: Morten Andersen / news More exclusive goods such as snakeskin shoes from Gucci are also illegal to import into Norway. – The manufacturer probably has the permits in order when they make the shoes. Although they can produce the shoes legally, you still have to have a separate permit when importing to Norway. In a box inside the warehouse, Håland pulls out the dietary supplement Saw Palmetto. A dietary supplement made from the African cherry tree Prunus africana. According to Håland, this is something that is popular to introduce from the USA. – The product is legal to sell in the USA, but as soon as you take the product out of the country and bring it here to Norway, you must have the permits in order. According to the senior adviser, there are large sums in circulation when it comes to illegal trade worldwide. – The biggest market is of course international. Each individual country is quite small, but when you start trading between them, it is about billions of dollars a year. “Saw Palmetto” is one of many types of dietary supplements that are seized at customs. Photo: Morten Andersen / news Don’t know the rules Elisbeth Nettum, senior adviser at the Norwegian Customs and Excise Department, writes in an e-mail to news that they see some travelers who don’t have a good enough knowledge of whether the item they have bought comes from an endangered animal, and require a permit . She mentions, among other things, turtle shells, ivory products, as well as traditional Chinese medicine powder and tablets as examples of goods that can be covered by the regulations. The regulations governing trade in endangered animal and plant species are an international convention called Cites. It was adopted in 1973 and covers 182 countries. Norway adopted the convention in 1976. – A common mistake for holidaying Norwegians is that they are not aware of what they are buying. In many cases, it is probably easier to think that the import of a snake or parrot must be assessed against the Cites regulations, compared to foodstuffs and health foods, explains Nettum. – The regulations cover a number of different species and product types. There are strict regulations relating to endangered species, but unfortunately there are probably many people who consciously or unconsciously do not familiarize themselves with what kind of goods are allowed to be imported and which are not.
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The Norwegian Environment Agency and the Norwegian Customs Service warn against bringing plants, animals and souvenirs home from holiday – news Trøndelag
