Hemp Export

HI there,
We are getting inquiries from Europe for industrial hemp. Does anyone know if it is legal to export hemp to Europe?

thank you in advance,
Namaste,
Angela
www.cannabisbuyer.com

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Hi, I don’t know if it’s legal to export hemp to Europe. but I was in a lecture of someone from the Czech Republic and he said they import hemp for industrial products.
Good luck

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We used to be able to export hemp from the us and Canada. The THC and CBC levels have to be below a specific level. Some prepossessing was required for raw fiber. Any soil present causes big issues.

In the US the USDA has a publication on hemp fiber guidelines, they are strict, this has caused lots of problems since the mid 1950’s. There was a publication on export control issues by target countries. There is also a book in import controls from listed countries.

https://nifa.usda.gov/industrial-hemp starting point.

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Thank you @ethan & @DryGair, I appreciate your support. Additionally, I’ll check out the link. I additionally received some advice from my mother who has exported goods from the US in another industry. I’ll be doing some research thru the world trade center in San Diego. Gosh if I only had 10 of me. That would be nice.
Namaste,
Angela

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Happy to help. Will you please share what you learn.

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Of course @ethan . I’m meeting with my supplier today to discuss strategy. This is an adventure!

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Hello @ethan, do you happen to know what large cultivators use for curing. This hemp farmer is got thousands of pounds to cure & is researching the best medium. Any direction you have or anyone else, for that matter, would be helpful.
Angela

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This is from memory. In more current years they use a grain dryer. Then closed space pasteurization, to meet pathogen certification.

In the War years and before they had drying barns they look like tobacco barn almost exactly.

There is also a fiber quality seal and standards. I think the choices are short, medium, long and extra long. There is also 4 sizes on fiber thickness and a weak, good, very good and exceptional. There may be more. They were all created by the war board of standards. Before that you had a fiber buyer who graded the crop for mills. Hemp paper was the lowest acceptabe grade for all categories. Below that it was fodder.

The USDA does have all the current rules.

USDA Library is a good place to find online extension guides. A great amount of research was done in the forties. Otherwise, you are going to have to do some digging. Many were removed from public display collections during the 1960’s and 1970’s. They area available in the catalog for USDA you access through the library of Congress https://www.loc.gov

https://www.loc.gov/search/?in=&q=Cannabis+1940’s+production+&new=true&st=

From the voices in my head
Ethan

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Thank you so much @ethan; thank goodness for the voices in your head!:wink:

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We get a bit crowded at times.

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Hi there yourself,
What you need there is a Customs Broker. I have used them for both exporting and importing various things (non-cannabis related). They take care of everything including all the paperwork for all of the various gubment agencies. Many of them are former gubment people and have the connections. If something gets hung up somewhere, they will go and solve the problem. They are worth every dime they charge.
If you get something stuck in a port somewhere, you have to pay storage fees. Those fees can kill you. Best to get a Customs Broker who knows what they are doing.
Regards,
Dennis


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Excellent thank you so much Dennis

CannabisBuyer.com
Info@cannabisbuyer.com
(707)971-0616

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Excellent advise! I use to have an APFIS permit I used a specialty lawyer to shepherd the permit acquisition process. Worth every penny I spent. But, I think I only had to pay about $200, 30 years ago. I don’t want to think about what I would have to pay today. But, specialists are definitely worth the cost.

Import/export control is very complex, look for someone who specializes in agronomic crops.

From the voices in my head
Ethan

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U.S. CBP Evolving Policy on Importing and Exporting Hemp.pdf (144.5 KB)
so wonderful GN community, I promised I’d share. The verdict is: no legal hemp exportation. :frowning: See the following:

Some good info from State of Oregon and US International Trade Specialist

-----Original Message-----
From: Allan Christian [mailto:Allan.Christian@trade.gov]
Sent: Wednesday, August 9, 2017 2:45 PM
To: BYERS Alexa * BIZ Alexa.Byers@oregon.gov; xxxxx
Subject: RE: Exporting Industrial Hemp to Switzerland

Hi xxxxx and Alexa:

Under the Obama Administration in 2014, the administration removed some restrictions on industrial hemp, with the passage in the U.S. Senate of the
2014 Farm Bill, but this was still an evolving U.S. government policy, based upon what I’ve read about the topic, at the end of the Obama Administration.
The Attached 2016 article from U.S. Customs and Border Protection speaks to several issues regarding import into and export from the U.S. of industrial hemp. However, the new, Trump Administration does not share the same U.S.
government policy views with regard to hemp and marijuana as the Obama Administration, and I cannot speak for the Trump Administration nor speak to the Administration’s current policies on industrial hemp. I’ve not been made aware of what they are, and our organization would receive that guidance almost certainly from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and/or the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Also, industrial hemp is not a commodity regulated by the U.S Department of Commerce, to which our U.S. Commercial Service belongs. Any export regulations on industrial hemp would be developed through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is the regulatory body for U.S. agricultural commodities, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which would enforce all export and import regulations established or changed for industrial hemp.

Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer had provided input for past U.S Farm Bills that in the Obama Administration years looked to change U.S.
government regulations with regard to the growth and cultivation of industrial hemp, the sale of industrial hemp across state borders and the import into and export from the U.S. of industrial hemp. Congressman Blumenauer’s office may be able to provide updated information on the current regulatory status of industrial hemp.

Sincerely,

Allan B. Christian
Senior International Trade Specialist
U.S. Commercial Service|U.S. Department of Commerce Portland, Oregon Direct
Tel: 503-326-5450 Agency Website: www.export.gov Office Website:
www.export.gov/oregon

-----Original Message-----
From: BYERS Alexa * BIZ [mailto:Alexa.Byers@oregon.gov]
Sent: Wednesday, August 9, 2017 10:54 AM
To: xxxxxx
Cc: Allan Christian Allan.Christian@trade.gov
Subject: RE: Exporting Industrial Hemp to Switzerland

xxxxx,

My understanding is that even though it may be legal to grow/sell in Oregon, the feds do not allow it at all and exports are federally controlled. I’m checking with my counterparts at the Federal govt. but I’m quite certain that’s the case.

Best regards,
Alexa

-----Original Message-----
From:xxxxxxx
Sent: Monday, August 7, 2017 12:57 PM
To: BYERS Alexa * BIZ Alexa.Byers@oregon.gov
Subject: Exporting Industrial Hemp to Switzerland

The following email was sent to you from the department Web site:

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That’s too bad :frowning:

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YEP! I had quite a few leads too!

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:weary:

From the voices in my head
Ethan Kayes

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