The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting African Big Game Hunting New Customs Rules for Trophies from AfricaGo | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
| New Customs Rules for Trophies from Africa | Login/Join |
one of us |
Just got a letter from US Customs that the crate that was used to ship trophies from africa was not made from the correct type of wood. I guess that Effective Sept 15, 2005 all wood packaging materials must be made of approved heat treated wood. This wood can be identified by a special ISPM-15 stamp. They let my shipment in but warned that effective Jan 31, 2006 the grace period would be over and any shipments not meeting the new regulations would be returned to their origin at the owners expense. I would suggest anyone shipping anything in make sure the crates meet the new specifications or they will be spending a lot of money fixing the issue. Anyone else had problems? ****************************************************************** R. Lee Ermey: "The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle." ****************************************************************** We're going to be "gifted" with a health care plan we are forced to purchase and fined if we don't, Which purportedly covers at least ten million more people, without adding a single new doctor, but provides for 16,000 new IRS agents, written by a committee whose chairman says he doesn't understand it, passed by a Congress that didn't read it but exempted themselves from it, and signed by a President, with funding administered by a treasury chief who didn't pay his taxes, for which we'll be taxed for four years before any benefits take effect, by a government which has already bankrupted Social Security and Medicare, all to be overseen by a surgeon general who is obese, and financed by a country that's broke!!!!! 'What the hell could possibly go wrong?' | ||
|
| One of Us |
Thanks for the info my trophies are to be shipped in a couple of weeks. I will make sure the shipping company and packers know about the wood requirements. | |||
|
| one of us |
Yes I heard about that too! "America's Meat - - - SPAM" As always, Good Hunting!!! Widowmaker416 | |||
|
| one of us |
I have a second shipment on its way and my fear is that it will be returned. Widowmaker, where did you hear of this? This is the first I have heard. ****************************************************************** R. Lee Ermey: "The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle." ****************************************************************** We're going to be "gifted" with a health care plan we are forced to purchase and fined if we don't, Which purportedly covers at least ten million more people, without adding a single new doctor, but provides for 16,000 new IRS agents, written by a committee whose chairman says he doesn't understand it, passed by a Congress that didn't read it but exempted themselves from it, and signed by a President, with funding administered by a treasury chief who didn't pay his taxes, for which we'll be taxed for four years before any benefits take effect, by a government which has already bankrupted Social Security and Medicare, all to be overseen by a surgeon general who is obese, and financed by a country that's broke!!!!! 'What the hell could possibly go wrong?' | |||
|
| One of Us |
Roscoe, The use of untreated crate material is not a new concept. Due to the possible influx of certain types of borer beetle (larvae) all wooden products (curios and crate material) require a phyto sanitary -fumigation certificate. In other words if your crate is made of wood, is on a wooden base (pallet) or has wooden carvings therein - it is required by International law (not just US) that the crate and or contents are fumigated with Methyl Bromide or the crate is made from heat treated wood and the product or crate is physically stamped with the required stamp -it look like a big rubber stamp about 3 " x 3" and has a registered number (ZW MB 41) so they can trace the source of the material if necessary. In addition your shipment require a phyto sanitary or fumigation certificate to accompany the export documents. Without this the authorities could burn the whole shipment or return to sender. We were advised this would be effective 1 January 2005 so the fact that they have offered a grace period shows some lenience on their part. If anyone requires assistance or information on this please don't hesitate to ask me. Muvhimi | |||
|
| one of us |
Muvhimi, Thanks for the additional info. My shipment came from Zim and was shipped by Maple Freight. Is it possible they are they not aware of these new rules. Seems like one more thing to add to the frustration of shipping trophies to the US. It has taken almost 4 years for this shipment to arrive in the States. ****************************************************************** R. Lee Ermey: "The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle." ****************************************************************** We're going to be "gifted" with a health care plan we are forced to purchase and fined if we don't, Which purportedly covers at least ten million more people, without adding a single new doctor, but provides for 16,000 new IRS agents, written by a committee whose chairman says he doesn't understand it, passed by a Congress that didn't read it but exempted themselves from it, and signed by a President, with funding administered by a treasury chief who didn't pay his taxes, for which we'll be taxed for four years before any benefits take effect, by a government which has already bankrupted Social Security and Medicare, all to be overseen by a surgeon general who is obese, and financed by a country that's broke!!!!! 'What the hell could possibly go wrong?' | |||
|
| one of us |
btt ****************************************************************** R. Lee Ermey: "The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle." ****************************************************************** We're going to be "gifted" with a health care plan we are forced to purchase and fined if we don't, Which purportedly covers at least ten million more people, without adding a single new doctor, but provides for 16,000 new IRS agents, written by a committee whose chairman says he doesn't understand it, passed by a Congress that didn't read it but exempted themselves from it, and signed by a President, with funding administered by a treasury chief who didn't pay his taxes, for which we'll be taxed for four years before any benefits take effect, by a government which has already bankrupted Social Security and Medicare, all to be overseen by a surgeon general who is obese, and financed by a country that's broke!!!!! 'What the hell could possibly go wrong?' | |||
|
One of Us |
I personally notified all the big taxidermist and freight forwarders throughout all the usual South African Countries about this last year. In fact the US is one of the last countries to enforce the IPPC regulations. Over 100 countries are part of this agreement. Standard does not apply to particle board. The pine bracing can cause refusal as well so need to make sure the entire crate complies. Carol Carolyn Rutkowski Consultant, Hunting Trophy Division Coppersmith Inc. TheRutkowskis@aol.com | |||
|
| one of us |
You are correct that these rules have been in place for almost a year. The problem is that crates are still comming into the US that do not comply to the rules. In talking to my shipping agent they say that most of the companies in SA understand the laws however some continue to use the wrong material. I suggest that anyone who is going to be shipping trophies should contact the shipping agent overseas and make sure they are using the proper materials. Ultimately we may loose if proper wood is not used. I also thing using a reputable broker will help prevent issues. ****************************************************************** R. Lee Ermey: "The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle." ****************************************************************** We're going to be "gifted" with a health care plan we are forced to purchase and fined if we don't, Which purportedly covers at least ten million more people, without adding a single new doctor, but provides for 16,000 new IRS agents, written by a committee whose chairman says he doesn't understand it, passed by a Congress that didn't read it but exempted themselves from it, and signed by a President, with funding administered by a treasury chief who didn't pay his taxes, for which we'll be taxed for four years before any benefits take effect, by a government which has already bankrupted Social Security and Medicare, all to be overseen by a surgeon general who is obese, and financed by a country that's broke!!!!! 'What the hell could possibly go wrong?' | |||
|
| One of Us |
Did you notify Tracks Freight as they should be shipping my stuff in a couple of weeks? | |||
|
| One of Us |
Can I ask why it took 4 years for you trophies to be shipped? | |||
|
| one of us |
The delay It was a combination of several factors. The taxidermy had trouble collecting payment from one of the guys in my group so that delayed things for about 6 months. Then the shipping lost records of my payment...that took about 9 months to sort out. Next was a waiting game until now. The buffalo was shot in Sept 2002 and I hope to have it on my wall some time next week. There were a lot of factors which led to the delay. Some were the result of my group and some were due to others involved. I would not consider this a normal series of events but I doubt that I am the only person who has had to wait a long time to get the trophies. I did however find that getting things out of Zim is much more difficult and expensive than going through South Africa. ****************************************************************** R. Lee Ermey: "The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle." ****************************************************************** We're going to be "gifted" with a health care plan we are forced to purchase and fined if we don't, Which purportedly covers at least ten million more people, without adding a single new doctor, but provides for 16,000 new IRS agents, written by a committee whose chairman says he doesn't understand it, passed by a Congress that didn't read it but exempted themselves from it, and signed by a President, with funding administered by a treasury chief who didn't pay his taxes, for which we'll be taxed for four years before any benefits take effect, by a government which has already bankrupted Social Security and Medicare, all to be overseen by a surgeon general who is obese, and financed by a country that's broke!!!!! 'What the hell could possibly go wrong?' | |||
|
| one of us |
ROSCOE, This treated wood is impossible to find in Ethiopia. To import it would drive the shipping costs sky high. Can you give me the contact from US Customs that sent you the notice please? We will probably use metal crating from now on but need to verify that this is okay. Rich Elliott Rich Elliott Ethiopian Rift Valley Safaris | |||
|
| One of Us |
I believe this document describes the relevant regulation. http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/import/commercial_e...2_implementation.doc | |||
|
| one of us |
douglast, Thanks, Looks like plywood with a metal frame would work. Rich Elliott Rich Elliott Ethiopian Rift Valley Safaris | |||
|
| One of Us |
Rich, I would agree. In part it states, "Regulated WPM do not include any manufactured wood, such as fiberboard, plywood, polywood, whisky and wine barrels, strand board, and veneers, nor do they include “loose wood packing materials†as defined in 7 CFR § 319.40-1." Roscoe: what was the construction of your crate? Doug | |||
|
| one of us |
This issue was discussed around October last year as well..........It should maybe be locked up somewhere at the top so that any new member can have access to this info at any time wihtout having to sift through sometimes 100's of threads to see it. Rich, Plywood crates with thicker plywood frame will also work. I have seen crates made with a 1 inch plywood frame and that worked well and kept the weight reasonable for air shipment. One just hopes that the customs officials recognise plywood from other plain wood  "...Them, they were Giants!" J.A. Hunter describing the early explorers and settlers of East Africa hunting is not about the killing but about the chase of the hunt.... Ortega Y Gasset | |||
|
| one of us |
Doug, My crate was made of regular lumber...no plywood involved. My understanding is that even plywood has to have the correct stamp, at least that is what the customs officer told me. ****************************************************************** R. Lee Ermey: "The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle." ****************************************************************** We're going to be "gifted" with a health care plan we are forced to purchase and fined if we don't, Which purportedly covers at least ten million more people, without adding a single new doctor, but provides for 16,000 new IRS agents, written by a committee whose chairman says he doesn't understand it, passed by a Congress that didn't read it but exempted themselves from it, and signed by a President, with funding administered by a treasury chief who didn't pay his taxes, for which we'll be taxed for four years before any benefits take effect, by a government which has already bankrupted Social Security and Medicare, all to be overseen by a surgeon general who is obese, and financed by a country that's broke!!!!! 'What the hell could possibly go wrong?' | |||
|
| one of us |
ROSCOE, The regulations as per the Customs Departments own link as posted above by douglast............. "Non-regulated and Exempt Wood and Wood Products: ............................................ .... Regulated WPM do not include any manufactured wood, such as fiberboard, plywood, polywood, , whisky and wine barrels, strand board, and veneers, nor do they include “loose wood packing materials†as defined in 7 CFR § 319.40-1. Examples of loose wood packing materials include excelsior (wood wool), sawdust, and wood shavings, produced as a result of sawing or shaving wood into small, slender, and curved pieces. Dunnage is not always loose wood packing materials; when it is not, it is regulated." Wonder if we could ship a load of skins in a whiskey barrel? Rich Elliott Rich Elliott Ethiopian Rift Valley Safaris | |||
|
| Powered by Social Strata |
 | Please Wait. Your request is being processed... |
|
The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting African Big Game Hunting New Customs Rules for Trophies from Africa
Visit our on-line store for AR Memorabilia