WASHINGTON -- The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has published for comment an implementation and enforcement plan for extensions to the Lacey Act that Congress included in the 2008 farm bill.

New requirements intended to stop trafficking in products made from illegally-harvested trees and plants go into effect Dec. 15. Importers will be required to identify the scientific name of the plant, and its origin, along with common value, quantity and other data that’s already collected by Customs and Border Protection.

For information that’s not in electronic form, APHIS will make available online a paper declaration for voluntary submission by importers. Customs is scheduled to complete an electronic system to collect the additional data by April 1, 2009. No agency will sanction importers for failing to complete the paperwork until the electronic system is available.

After April 1, APHIS will phase-in enforcement beginning with wood and wood products, followed by live and cut plants, then wood pulp, paper, furniture and musical instruments. Enforcement is scheduled to be completed by Sept. 30, 2009.

Customs will incorporate the new Lacey Act requirements in the Automated Commercial System and later build them into the Automated Commercial Environment. The target date for completion is April 1, 2009.

There will be a public meeting on the requirements from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Oct. 14 at the Department of Agriculture South Building in Washington. The deadline for public comment is Dec. 8.