U.S. Import Declaration Required for More Plants and Plant Products

U.S. Import Declaration Required for More Plants and Plant Products

The U.S. recently expanded the protection provided by The Lacey Act to cover a broader range of plants and plant products. As a result, ? imports of the protected plants and plant products, including wood and wood products, will require an import declaration when being shipped to the U.S. with effect from December 15, 2008.

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The expanded definition of affected plants and plant products now includes “any wild member of the plant kingdom, including roots, seeds, parts or products thereof, and including trees from either natural or planted forest stands.”

The inclusion of trees means that wood such as logs, milled lumber, and furniture are included as affected commodities. Wood products such as paper are also included.

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The new declaration must include the following information:

The scientific name of the plant; The value of the importation; The quantity; and, The name of the country from which the plant was harvested.

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Some plants and plant products do not require a declaration. These include:

“Common cultivars” and “common food crops”. These terms are not yet defined for the purposes of this new import requirement; Scientific specimens of plant genetic material for laboratory or field research; and, Plants to remain planted or to be planted.

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Any item covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), listed as an endangered or threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, or covered by any U.S. state law providing for conservation of

indigenous species requires the new declaration, including scientific specimens and plants to be planted.

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For more information, please visit? http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/lacey_act/

?or contact your local FedEx Customer Service team.

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