APHIS Proposed Chinese Handicrafts Rule

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has proposed new rule to allow the import of handmade or rustic goods made in China.

Articles such as artificial Christmas trees, ficus trees, bird houses, and lawn furniture made from unprocessed wood, twigs and other natural materials would have be heat-treated before importation to kill dangerous pests, APHIS said.

APHIS said it issued more than 300 emergency orders since 2002 because of wood-boring beetles it found in imported Chinese artificial trees. The agency halted all imports of such products in 2005 until it could carry out a thorough evaluation and risk assessment.

The proposed rule may be found online at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-8102.htm. The deadline for comments is June 8.