Contact:    Missy Branson, 202-822-8026                February 22, 2006

    Cass Johnson, 202-822-8025

NCTO APPLAUDS INCREASED TEXTILE

ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS

Millions in Illegal Goods Being Seized

45 Additional Personnel Hired for Textile Enforcement

Washington DC) The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) applauds recent announcements regarding increased seizures and new textile enforcement personnel hires   by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to crack down on textile fraud and transshipment. 

CBP recently announced that thanks to ongoing support from Congress, 45 additional personnel have been hired to bolster U.S. textile law enforcement efforts.  CBP has further reported that during the month of February almost $7 million in illegal textile products have been seized and denied entry into U.S. commerce.  This announcement comes on the heels of an announcement earlier this month that more than $10 million in mislabeled textile products had been seized over the past four months.  

In response to this announcement, NCTO Senior Vice President Missy Branson said: “This is good news for our industry, particularly coming after the China bilateral textile agreement. With the removal of quotas in 2005, the conclusion of a textile bilateral agreement with China, and the growing number of free trade agreements, textile enforcement efforts have taken on even greater importance.  In fact, enforcement has become one of the focal points for our industry, and I believe will be a key factor for the Administration in garnering support for further trade expansion.  Upholding the integrity of these agreements through strong monitoring and enforcement activities is essential.  NCTO is working hard to make sure that our industry is engaged with CBP and Congress on these issues and that we maintain a productive working relationship that benefits all parties.”

According to the CBP, during the month of February the agency has made a series of 39 seizures including illegal transshipments and misdescription of merchandise to avoid quotas. 

Janet Labuda, Director of the Textile Enforcement and Operations Division says that CBP will “use all available means – trade pattern analysis, on-site verifications, review of production records, audits, and laboratory analysis, to continue to vigorously enforce our trade laws and ensure that appropriate revenue is collected.”