Efloors.com Lacey Act Policy

What is the Lacey Act?

The oldest wildlife protection statute in the U.S., the Lacey Act was written to combat trafficking in illegal wildlife, fish and plants. The Act was amended in May 2008 to prohibit all trade in plant and plant products (e.g., furniture, paper or lumber) that are illegally sourced from any U.S. state or any foreign country.

Specifically:

1. It is unlawful to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire or purchase (in interstate or foreign commerce) any plant taken in violation of U.S. or foreign law that protects plants.


2. It is unlawful to falsify documents, accounts or records of any plant covered by the Act.


3. It is unlawful to import certain plants and plant products without an import declaration.

The first two provisions of the Amendment took effect May 2008. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is working with a larger interagency group composed of representatives from U.S. Forest Service, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Council on Environmental Quality, and Department of Commerce, to implement the new provisions.

Under the amended Lacey Act, beginning April 1, 2009, importers are required to submit a declaration for certain plants and plant products. The declaration shall contain, among other things, the scientific name of the plant, value of the importation, quantity of the plant, and name of the country from which the plant was harvested.

Go to the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Inspection Services web site for more information: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/lacey_act/

Our Position
We at Efloors.com support compliance to the Lacey Act as well as all applicable environmental laws and regulations. We have informed all of our suppliers that we expect total compliance relative to materials that we purchase from them.

The scope of our responsibility
It is the responsibility of Efloors.com to take “due care” to ensure materials that we transport, sell, acquire or purchase are obtained legally. Efloors.com will be responsible for verifying Lacey compliance for the hardwood flooring and other products that we sell and control.