Want to make Australian health officials ‘roar’? Give away seeds with your album.
While Katy Perry’s new album, Prism, sits atop charts in Australia, Australian officials dubbed the album a “bio-security concern.” No, the concern has nothing to do with the music, but rather with the album’s packaging. Deluxe versions of Prism came with seed paper, which grows when planted. The “Roar” singer encouraged her fans to plant the seeds and “spread the light” via her Twitter page, but she didn’t clear her flower-power initiative with Australia’s Department of Agriculture, and they have now declared the seeds a potential biohazard.
The Department of Agriculture is concerned that the plants could pose a risk to the country’s unique ecosystem. According to The Independent, Perry’s production company assured officials that the Australian version of the album is pressed in Australia and contains Swan River daisy seeds that come from the Western part of Australia and are considered harmless.
But because fans can purchase international copies online, security officers have been ordered to inspect new copies of the album when they arrive from overseas. Australia’s strict customs laws means that any imported copies could be confiscated. “Seeds or plant material of international origin may be a weed not present in Australia or the host of a plant pathogen of bio-security concern,” a department spokesperson told the BBC.
The biohazard warning hasn’t dampened fans enthusiasm for the singer. Prism debuted at the top of Australia’s album sales chart earlier this week and her single “Roar” has topped the charts for seven weeks.
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