The oldest wildlife protection statute in the United States, the Lacey Act, which combats trafficking of "illegal" wildlife, fish or plants, was amended in 2008 to make it unlawful to import certain plants and plant products without an import declaration. In the initial proposal, most of Leo’s manufactured products fell within phase IV of the enforcement of the declaration requirements.
Beginning on April 1, 2010, phase IV has been substantially revised by the Department of Agriculture of the United States (USDA). The enforcement of categories for Leo's manufactured products have been excluded from phase IV, but the US government is seeking comments on these categories currently under consideration for subsequent phases that were scheduled to begin after September 1, 2010. In the latest USDA Lacey Act documents, no further additions to phases III or IV were introduced. For any products that would be added to the phase-in schedule at the later stage, at least 6 months' notice will be given to the affected individuals and industries. Changes will be announced to the public on the USDA website, and we will check for update from time to time to obtain the latest news.
At Leo, we continuously work with our suppliers and take measures to ensure we can fulfill the requirements and comply with the Lacey Act. Enquiries were sent to our suppliers to collect information on paper regularly used by Leo, including plant name and species, country of harvest, percentage of recycled materials and plant-material composition. We are in the process of creating a database of this info so that once the declaration is in force for Leo's manufactured products, we can respond to any inquiries promptly.
We also keep an eye on any announcements by the USDA, so we can provide you with more details and keep you informed of the implementation. For more information, you can refer to the official website of the United States Department of Agriculture at
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/lacey_act, or contact our sales representatives for assistance.