The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) will be hosting a webinar on the Lacey Act as it applies to importers of all plant products, including those used for herbal and botanical supplements. The webinar will take place on June 23, 2021, from 1-3 p.m. PET.
 
The Lacey Act of 1900 was originally passed to prohibit the interstate sale and transportation of game killed in violation of local laws, and was modified in 2008 to also address illegal international logging practices and trade. As part of these modifications, the importers of all plant products must submit an import declaration at the time of importation.
 
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) oversees the Lacey Act’s import declaration requirement, which it has implemented for different imported plant product commodities, of which APHIS maintains a non-exhaustive list.
 
Import declarations under the Lacey Act are collected by the Agency in an electronic format, and cover a variety of information, including country of harvest. A new phase of the Lacey Act will be implemented on July 1, and, for the first time, will require import declarations for certain essential oil commodities.
 
The webinar will feature: Dorothy Wayson, national policy manager of the Lacey Act Program; John Schoenig, Esq., partner at Grunfeld, Desiderio, Lebowitz, Silverman, and Klestadt LLP; Elizabeth Baldwin, environmental compliance officer, Metropolitan Hardwood Floors; and Joe O’Donnell, director of Government and Public Affairs, International Wood Products Association.
 
Registration for AHPA members is free, and for non-members, registration costs $199.