The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture has published a notice in today’s Federal Register announcing the next phase of Harmonized Tariff Schedule numbers that will require a Lacey Act declaration at the time of importation starting on August 6, 2015. This is the first new phase in nearly five years. APHIS is providing 6 months’ notice to the phase-in schedule to facilitate compliance with the new requirements. The HTS numbers are:

  • 4416.00.3010—new casks, barrels, and parts of wood
  • 4416.00.3020—used assembled casks of wood
  • 4416.00.3030—used unassembled casks of wood
  • 4416.00.6010—new barrel staves of wood
  • 4416.00.6020—new barrel hoops of softwood
  • 4416.00.6030—new tight barrelheads of wood
  • 4416.00.6040—used barrels staves of softwood
  • 4416.00.6050—used hoops, tight barrelheads of softwood
  • 4416.00.9020—new other casks, barrels, wood
  • 4416.00.9040—used other cooper goods, wood
  • 8211.92.6000—hunting knives with wood handles
  • 8215.99.2400—table barbeque forks with wood handles
  • 9401.61.2010—upholstered teak chair, household
  • 9401.61.2030—upholstered teak chairs, other
  • 9401.90.1500—parts of bent-wood seats
  • 9403.30.4000—bent-wood office furniture
  • 9403.40.4000—bent-wood kitchen furniture
  • 9403.50.4000—bent-wood bedroom furniture
  • 9403.60.4000—other bent-wood furniture
  • 9614.00.2100—rough wood blocks for smoking pipe manufacture

The Lacey Act is the U.S.’s oldest wildlife protection statute, dating back to 1900. The 2008 Farm Bill includes an amendment to the Lacey Act intended to strengthen the protection of trees and plants that may have been illegally harvested. The Lacey Act makes it unlawful to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase in interstate or foreign commerce any plant taken in violation of the laws of a U.S. state, or any foreign law that protects plants. It is also unlawful to make or submit any false record, account or label for, or any false identification of, any plant. More information on the Lacey Act may be found here.