CBP Miami flagging ?dirty? tile shipments

CBP Miami flagging ædirtyÆ tile shipments U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Miami is flagging tile shipments from 35 Italian exporters for 100 percent inspections because the manufacturing companies are not participating in a U.S. Department of Agriculture program aimed at stopping pest infestations in the tiles.
   Tile imports represent a major niche industry in South Florida, and tile is part of a group of building materials that is the second-largest category for import cargoes at the Port of Miami, according to port statistics.
   But tile shipments often include potentially dangerous pest, most commonly a form a snail found in the cargo, prompting the need for inspections.
      A full physical inspection will typically add about $1,000 to the cost of an import shipment, local customs brokers and truckers say. Shipments targeted for full inspections related to potential pest infestations must be drayed to a CBP-authorized container freight station, where containers must be stripped and inspected by CBP officers. Importers ultimately pick up the drayage and inspection costs.
   Gerard Russo, CBP Miami assistant port director, said his agency and the USDA worked with companies in Italy to establish a 'clean tile' program that includes actions like sweeping procedures, storing tiles on hard floors instead of on the ground, putting out pest-killing 'traps,' and treating around the perimeter of a manufacturing site to prevent pest infestations.
   Russo, speaking at a meeting of the Florida Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association in Miami Wednesday, said many tile exporters have signed on to the program, but there are 35 companies that regularly move tile through the Port of Miami that are not part of the program. Those companies always have their containers stopped for inspections, he said.
   CBP will not give out a list of 'clean' and 'dirty' companies, Russo said, but the information can be obtained from the Italian consulate in Miami.
   Companies interested in joining the program can also get that information from the consulate, he added. The USDA has offices in Italy that will work with companies to set up a 'clean tile' program.