US – Lacey Act Declaration requirements: changes to permit conditions on PPQ Forms 585 and 621

On August 19, 2013, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) posted the following bulletin and sent it to e-mail subscribers:

Many plant products that must be declared under the Lacey Act are imported into the United States under the following two permits:

• PPQ Form 585: Permit to Import Timber or Timber Products
• PPQ Form 621: Protected Plant Permit to Engage in the Business of Importing, Exporting or Re-exporting Terrestrial Plants or Plant Products that are Protected

To make certain importers understand their obligations under the Lacey Act, APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) will be updating the permit condition language on PPQ Forms 585 and 621. The revised language will include information about the requirement to submit a Lacey Act Plant and Plant Product Declaration (PPQ Form 505) when importing applicable commodities into the United States. A list of commodities that currently require a Lacey Act Declaration is available at the APHIS Lacey Act website.

Changes to the list of commodities that require a Lacey Act Declaration will be announced through a Federal Register notice before declarations are required for added commodities.