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period
to the end of March 2002. At press time, no specific details of how the
grace period will be administered have been disclosed. However, due to
the recent terrorist activities, border inspections have increased resulting
in a dramatic increase in the number of seizures. If you have not already
done so, we urge you to implement practices and procedures now to determine
and monitor your level of Customs compliance. AMPS will result in a significant
monetary impact for those importers who have failed to ensure a high level
of compliance in all aspects of Customs issues, including NAFTA.
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Don't
allow the grace period to lull you into a false sense of security.
It is time to start the process of obtaining renewed blanket NAFTA Certificates of Origin. The law requires that you have a current and valid Certificate in your possession in order for the preferential rates of duty to be claimed. The penalty for "Failure to have a NAFTA Certificate of Origin in your possession when claiming NAFTA preferential tariff treatment" is $1000 for the first infraction, $5000 for the second, $10,000 for the third, and $25,000 for the fourth and subsequent. As you can see, this is serious business! |
New
and improved levels of collaboration between you, your suppliers, and
Russell A. Farrow Limited will be essential in order for you to avoid
exposure to such penalties.To protect you, we must become increasingly
diligent in our requests for NAFTA Certificates and in our review of Certificates
to ensure they are valid. AMPS requires that our interaction must be more
intensive in the future. We will be writing to you soon to ensure that
you have been fully informed of the potential impact of this legislation.
Please contact any of our offices if you have any questions or require further information. |
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Further
to our articles in the Summer 2000 and Spring 2001 issues, the European
Union, in its efforts to prevent the spread of the pine
nematode, has advised that effective October 1, 2001 all coniferous wood packaging and pallets must be treated in accordance with EU import requirements. In response to this initiative the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has implemented the Canadian Wood Packaging Certification Program (CWPCP). The program is designed to certify Canadian wood packaging manufacturers that produce packaging that meets the EU requirements.Qualifying wood packaging material will be marked with |
a
certification stamp that identifies the treatment and certifying facility.
Wood packaging facilities interested in registering under the program must submit a CWPCP application form, which can be obtained from CFIA offices. The program is available to both manufacturers and recyclers of non-manufactured wood packaging materials. EU regulations apply to all non-manufactured coniferous wood packaging material (e.g. pallets, containers, drums, crates, cases, boxes of pine, spruce, Douglas fir, fir etc.) The only exception is Thuja spp. (cedar) originating from Canada, Japan, China and the U.S. The EU import requirements do |
not
apply to: manufactured wood (e.g. veneer, oriented strand board, particle
board, plywood, etc.); or hardwood species (e.g.maple, ash, elm, etc);
or non-wood material (e.g. plastic, metal,card-board, etc.). However,
if packaging materials are made of combination of exempt and non-exempt
materials then they must be certified.
The CFIA has published the EU requirements as follows. The subject material must be heat treated or kiln dried to a minimum core temperature of 56º C for at least 30 minutes in a certified facility; or pressure (impregnated) treated with an approved chemical in a certified facility; or fumigated with an approved chemical by a certified facility. All |
treated
wood, regardless of the process, must display an approved marking enabling
identification of where and by whom the treatment has been carried out.
Canadian wood packaging that is intended for shipment to the EU that does not comply may be "Refused entry into the EU; Destroyed; Treated at the port of entry, or; Detained for extensive periods while the consignment is under quarantine." The regulations also apply to material that has been trans-shipped through another country. For additional information and a list of approved facilities please refer to the CFIA web site: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/ english/plaveg/for/woode. shtml |
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