Alstroemeria from Kenya: Mount Kenya's flower, opened at 5% into Britain and 100% into the EU
Alstroemeria is the flower on which the two European inspection tables disagree most. The same Kenyan consignment is opened one time in twenty into Great Britain and every time into the Netherlands, and the reason is structural rather than anything about the flower. It is also the product most closely tied to one Kenyan region, and the one on which this site once recorded a minimum order it now refuses to repeat. All of that is on this page, with the authority behind each line.
Specification, and which framework each row comes from
| Dimension | Value or convention | Framework |
|---|---|---|
| Stem length, as observed | 75 cm, Kenyan-grown stock in a UK retail listing Verify before shipment One listing, recorded verbatim, naming the variety Polar. A market observation, not a ladder and not a standard. Confirm lengths with the supplier. | Kenyan origin Trade listing read 24 Sep 2026 |
| Stems per bunch | Not established Not established No observed Kenyan alstroemeria listing stating a bunch count was among the sources we read. | Kenyan origin |
| Kenyan grade | No published national grading standard Not established KEPHIS checks that a consignment is properly graded by size, colour and shape, and publishes no grade scale. | Kenyan origin KEPHIS read 25 Sep 2026 |
| VBN product specification | Not read by this site Not established We have not read a VBN product specification for Alstroemeria and publish none. | VBN auction framework VBN |
| EU identity and physical checks | 100% of consignments Alstroemeria is not among the genera listed in Annex I of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/2389, so the basic rate of Article 4(2) applies. | Destination requirement European Commission read 26 Sep 2026 |
| Great Britain identity and physical checks | 5% of consignments Not named in Defra's table; the rate for genera not specified, from any third country. Documentary check on every consignment. | Destination requirement Defra read 25 Sep 2026 |
| False codling moth requirement | Not in scope The EU and GB special requirement applies to cut flowers of Rosa from the African continent. No equivalent for Alstroemeria. | Destination requirement European Commission; Defra read 26 Sep 2026 |
| Australian devitalisation dose | Not listed by genus in the department's guide Verify before shipment The published dose table does not name Alstroemeria. The applicable condition is in BICON on the day of shipment. | Destination requirement DAFF read 25 Sep 2026 |
| Japan plant quarantine | Importable on ordinary inspection - government-issued certificate and port inspection The Plant Protection Station's import conditions database, queried for Kenya, genus Alstroemeria, fresh stems and leaves, on 26 September 2026 - no prohibition, no additional declaration, no isolation cultivation. | Destination requirement Plant Protection Station (MAFF) read 26 Sep 2026 |
| Norway certificate and duty | Not certificate-bearing under annex 5A as read; ordinary duty 249% all year, Kenyan preference not read on this line Norwegian plant health regulation annex 5A and the Norwegian customs tariff, read 26 September 2026. | Destination requirement Mattilsynet; Tolletaten read 26 Sep 2026 |
| Tariff line | HS 0603.19, other fresh cut flowers Shared with gypsophila and every genus not named in 0603.11 to 0603.15. | Destination requirement UK Integrated Online Tariff read 25 Sep 2026 |
Each row states the framework it belongs to. A convention used at auction is not a Kenyan national standard, and neither is a destination country's legal requirement. Specifications are not a quotation.
The widest gap in the two inspection tables
Into Great Britain, one Kenyan alstroemeria consignment in twenty is opened. Into the European Union, every one is. Nothing about the flower explains that. The Union's frequency regulation lists the genera that qualify for a reduced rate and applies its 100% basic rate to everything else; alstroemeria is not listed. Great Britain's table gives a residual 5% to genera it does not name; alstroemeria is not named. The same omission produces 100% on one lane and 5% on the other. Both tables, and what the rule for an unlisted genus is on each →
What it means for the Dutch gateway. A Kenyan alstroemeria consignment into the Netherlands is always a physically inspected consignment, and KCB charges the inspector's time by the minute. Into Great Britain the fee is £7.64 per consignment whether opened or not. The EU fee structure →
Where it is grown
Alstroemeria is the flower most closely associated with the Mount Kenya region — Timau in Meru County and Nanyuki in Laikipia. Growers there publish alstroemeria and spray alstroemeria among their ranges, alongside gypsophila, spray carnations and the summer flowers, where the Rift Valley around Naivasha is the volume-rose cluster. The counties are verified; the product association comes from company and trade sources. No altitude figure for Timau or Nanyuki has been sourced to an authority, and we publish none. The region — what is verified, what is a company statement, what is not established →
What has been observed of the specification, and how little that is
One UK retail listing offers Kenyan-grown alstroemeria at 75 cm, naming the variety Polar. That is one length from one seller; it is not a ladder, and no bunch count was stated. We publish no other length and no bunch convention. Why summer-flower quotations become incomparable when the unit is not stated →
A minimum order we will not repeat
A marketplace listing observed in August 2024 set a minimum of one "jumbo box" for alstroemeria from Kenya. Re-checked in September 2026, the same marketplace no longer uses that box nomenclature at all and states no origin-level minimum. The figure was true when recorded and is not current practice. Minimum order quantities are commercial terms, point-in-time and supplier-specific, and this site states none.
The tariff line
Alstroemeria falls in 0603.19, other fresh cut flowers, with gypsophila and every genus the nomenclature does not name. No public statistic separates it from the rest of the line. The codes →
Two more lanes, on their own pages
Japan admits this genus from Kenya on ordinary inspection, duty-free, on a government-issued certificate. Norway has its own certificate list and a tariff that changes with the calendar. Japan → Norway →
What to specify
- Stem length and stems per bunch — one observed length is not a convention.
- Standard or spray alstroemeria.
- The destination, because the inspection rate is the widest gap on this site.
- Quantity and frequency — the box is the unit a quotation is built from.
Questions buyers ask
Why is alstroemeria inspected at 100% into the EU but 5% into Great Britain?
Because the two tables treat an unlisted genus differently. The European Union applies its 100% basic rate to any genus not listed in Annex I of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/2389, and alstroemeria is not listed. Great Britain gives genera it does not name a residual 5%. Nothing about the flower itself is behind the gap.
Where in Kenya is alstroemeria grown?
The Mount Kenya region — Timau in Meru County and Nanyuki in Laikipia — according to the growers who publish their ranges. The counties are verified; the product association is a company and trade-source account, not a statistic, and no altitude figure for the area has been sourced to an authority.
Is there a minimum order for Kenyan alstroemeria?
Whatever your supplier tells you in writing, dated. A 2024 marketplace listing set a minimum of one jumbo box; on re-check in September 2026 the same marketplace no longer used that nomenclature and stated no origin-level minimum. Minimums are commercial terms, not properties of the product.
What we have not been able to establish
Each of these is a real question a buyer may put to us. None has an answer we can evidence, and we would rather say so than fill the gap.
- A length ladder and bunch convention for Kenyan alstroemeria One observed length from one listing is all we have read. We will not borrow a convention from another origin.
- A VBN product specification for Alstroemeria We have read the VBN framework for roses and not for this genus.
- The Australian devitalisation condition for Alstroemeria The department's dose table does not name the genus. The condition is whatever BICON states for the case on the day of shipment.
- The altitude of the Timau and Nanyuki growing areas Trade sources describe the region by its position on the mountain and not by a sourced figure. We publish none until an authority does.
- Any genus-specific requirement outside the two annexes read Neither the Union's Annex VII nor Great Britain's Annex 7 Part A, both read on 26 September 2026, names cut flowers of this genus. That is what the lists say; whether KEPHIS applies anything genus-specific on its own certificate is a question for KEPHIS.
Sourcing alstroemeria?
Tell us standard or spray, the stem length and stems per bunch, the quantity, the frequency and the destination airport, and we will come back to you.
Last verified 26 September 2026
Sources
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Observed trader and grower product listings — alstroemeria
What we read
Kenyan-grown alstroemeria at 75 cm, variety Polar, in a UK retail listing. The minimum-order observation of one jumbo box dates from 30 August 2024 and was found NOT to be current practice on re-check in September 2026. Market observations, not standards, and not a supplier list.
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Kenyan flower region register — compiled trade and company sources
What we read
Alstroemeria and spray alstroemeria named among the published ranges of Mount Kenya growers at Timau (Meru County) and Nanyuki (Laikipia County). Counties verified; product association secondary; altitude unsourced.
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Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/2389 — consolidated text of 15 June 2026
What we read
Article 4(2) - 100% basic rate; Annex I read in full - Alstroemeria is not listed.
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Defra, UK Plant Health Information Portal — Frequency of plant health import inspections across GB
What we read
Table dated 15 June 2026. Genera not specified 5% identity and physical from any third country; documentary 100%. Alstroemeria is not named.
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Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072 — Annex VII, point 62 (false codling moth, cut flowers of Rosa)
What we read
Cited for scope - the requirement is written for cut flowers of Rosa and does not extend to Alstroemeria.
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Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry — Cut flower devitalisation treatment guide
What we read
The dose table by genus does not name Alstroemeria. Treatments are to be verified in BICON.
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KEPHIS — Phytosanitary Services
What we read
The exit-point standard that a consignment is properly graded by size, colour and shape; no national grade scale is published.
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UK Integrated Online Tariff — heading 0603, cut flowers
What we read
Subheadings of 0603.1 by genus; alstroemeria falls in 0603.19, other.
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Retained Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072, Annex 7 Part A entry 39, as it applies in Great Britain
What we read
Read for the absence - no entry in Part A names cut flowers of this genus; the cut-flower entries are 39 (Chrysanthemum, Dianthus, Gypsophila, Solidago), 41 (Orchidaceae) and 94 (Rosa). Legislation.gov.uk text as it stood at 25 September 2026, all known changes applied.
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Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072 — Annex VII, read for the absence of an entry for this genus
What we read
Consolidated text of 6 July 2026. A search of Annex VII found no entry naming this genus; the cut-flower entries are point 28 (Chrysanthemum, Dianthus, Gypsophila, Solidago), point 29 (Orchidaceae) and the Rosa entries. Read in a browser.