Last December, Kristen Mercer and myself, were sent to Brussels to attend the CETAF Workshop “Legal aspects of Shipping preserved animals and tissues”. The workshop was sponsored by Zoologische Staatsmmlung Museum, Germany and Dirk Neumann chaired the highly informative meeting.
Some of the highlights included administrative or political issues surrounding the ownership of museum specimens, especially tissue samples, DNA and extractions for not-for profit agencies. The European Union and its policy makers are deeply concerned over such sample harvesting and require “Best Effort” or the establishment of a paper trail proving ownership and distancing it from for-profit agencies, such as the pharmaceutical companies.
Packing and shipping issues were raised and discussed in detail and especially focusing on importance of following IATA (International Air Transport Association) new Special provision A180 regulations governing its packing, parcel labeling, and shipping protocol. IATA A180 ensures that fluid preserved museum specimens, tissues and extractions to be shipped “not restricted’ both domestic and international shipments deliveries within one to three days. International shipments that were delayed in Customs were mislabeled and suspicious in appearance, or lacked sufficient documentation.
(For those on the SI Intranet: I have prepared an informative document detailing packing/shipping protocols, Customs documents and placement in carrier plastic waybill pouch. Staff and colleagues may contact me for a copy or go to P:/IZ/Collections/TM/ Dangerous goods packing and shipping).
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