Limited Exception to Lacey Import Declaration Authorize

The Agriculture Department has authorized a limited exception to the Lacey Act requirement that all imported products containing wood and other plant products be accompanied by a declaration disclosing all wood in the products. The new "de minimis" rule exempts any product with no more than five percent (5%) of the weight of the individual product, provided that the total weight of the shipment does not exceed 2.9 kilograms. The rule is effective on April 1, 2020.

APHIS has adopted a phase-in of the import declaration requirement. At the present time only two categories of musical instruments, pianos and "other stringed instruments," require a declaration, but APHIS has indicated that it will expand those categories later this year.

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