Lacey Act Information Requirement Kicks in Today

March 31, 2010  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in sourcing/importing on April 1, 2010

April 1 marks the beginning of enforcement for basic information transparency requirements under the U.S. Lacey Act, which prohibits trade in illegal wood products, for guitars, revolvers, hand tools, pool cues and certain types of furniture.

Now, for example, an importer of chairs manufactured in Vietnam must declare that the wooden frame is made of teak (Tectona grandis) from Thailand. Other wood product sectors, including those importing sawn timber, flooring, plywood, and caskets, have been declaring this information to the US government for nearly a year in some cases, according to the Environental Investigation Agency, watchdog group monitoring environmental crimes.

"The declaration requirement of the Lacey Act is a critically important part of achieving greater supply chain transparency and legality, the over-arching goals set forth by Lacey," said EIA's Alexander von Bismarck of the Environmental Investigation Agency. "For the first time, companies are required by law to ask basic questions about their supply chains and understand exactly where their wood comes from." 
 
The declaration form can be found on the APHIS Web site. Importers must print and mail it to APHIS or submit the information electronically via an automated broker interface. It is expected that an electronic interface will become publically available in the future as the US governmcontinues to refine its implementation of the Lacey Act.