June 30, 2009
Reminder on Forced Labor Product Imports

FedEx Trade Networks is reminding importers that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) prohibits the import into the U.S. of products that may have been produced in a foreign locality by convict, forced or indentured labor, including forced child labor or indentured child labor under penal sanctions.  The 19 U.S.C. 1307 (Section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended) prohibits the importation of such products. 

Pursuant to 19 CFR 12.42(e), the Commissioner of Customs can issue detention orders for merchandise that CBP has reason to believe come under the purview of Section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930.  After an investigation, if it is determined that the merchandise in question is subject to the provisions of Section 307, the Commissioner – with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury – will publish a finding to that effect in a weekly issue of the Customs Bulletin and in the Federal Register.  CBP will consider and treat such merchandise as a prohibited importation, unless the importer can provide satisfactory evidence to the contrary.

Importers should check the names of their suppliers to verify that they are not included on CBP’s list of foreign firms using forced labor.  The list appears at the end of an article posted on CBP’s Web site and entitled “Convict, Forced, or Indentured Labor Product Importations” (dated 03/25/2008).  It can be accessed via the following URL:
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/trade_outreach/convict_importations.xml

Additional information is available in 19 CFR 12.42, pages 335-336:
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/retrieve.html
(Once you access the Web site, enter the Revision Year as 2009, the Title as 19, the Part as 12 and the Section as 42.  Click on the “GO” button.)

For more information, please contact your local FedEx Trade Networks Transport & Brokerage office. For a complete list of office locations go to http://www.ftn.fedex.com/locations/index.html.