Lacey Act enforcement delayed until April 2010 for furniture
Move gives importers another 10 months to comply
Heath Combs -- Furniture Today, February 4, 2009
WASHINGTON — Enforcement of amendments to the Lacey Act, passed last year to combat illegal logging, have been postponed for 10 months for furniture products, according to a notice in the Federal Register Tuesday.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal Health Inspection Service issued a revised plan to phase in enforcement of the declaration requirement and other implementation.
The move will push implementation of the rule from this July to April 1, 2010, for Chapter 94 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule for imported products — a category that includes wood furniture and furniture parts.
The enforcement will be phased in from April 1 to Sept. 30, 2010.
The schedule was revised by product largely based on their degree of processing and complexity of composition, according to the Federal Register notice.
The Lacey Act requires importers to submit an import declaration for the origin of wood used in their products. Enforcement will still be phased in starting this April 1 for some raw wood products other than furniture.
Although the law took effect Dec. 15, 2008, the notice said that failure to submit a declaration will not be prosecuted and Customs clearance will not be denied for a lack of declaration until after the new phase-in date of April 1, 2010.
The USDA agency will continue to consider comments it receives before April 6.
Click here to view a copy if the Federal Register notice.
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Enforcement of Lacey Act changes postponed
Feb 9, 2009
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