USDA reviews amended Lacey Act implementation

USDA reviews amended Lacey Act implementation    The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said it will review the impact of new import declaration requirements related to the Lacey Act, as amended by the 2008 Food, Conservation and Energy Act.
   The amended Lacey Act expands protections to a broader range of plant species, extends its reach to encompass products, including timber, that derive from illegally harvested plants, and requires importers to submit a declaration at the time of import for certain plants and plant products.
   More specifically, section 3 of the Lacey Act made it unlawful, starting Dec. 15, 2008, to import certain plants and plant products without an import declaration. The declaration must contain, among other things, the scientific name of the plant, value of the import, quantity of the plant, and name of the country from which the plant was harvested. Enforcement of the declaration requirement is currently being phased in.
   USDA said information received in response to this notice will be taken into account and included with its analysis of the implementation of the declaration requirements in the report made to Congress.
   Comments are due to the agency by April 14. For more details, see the Federal Register notice.