All tobacco imported from Limbe Leaf Tobacco Company Ltd. is now admissable at all US ports of entry, according to a press release from the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The CBP has modified an existing Withhold Release Order (WRO) on tobacco imports from Malawi. Tobacco imported from Limbe Leaf Tobacco Company Ltd. (LLTC) will be admissable at all US ports of entry effective immediately, states the press release.
The WRO was issued in November 2019 to deny all tobacco imports from Malawi due to concerns that the tobacco was being produced using forced labour.
Having evaluated the LLTC’s social compliance programme and its efforts to identify and minimize risks of forced labour from its supply chain, the CBP found LLTC’s claims that its tobacco is not produced or harvested using forced labour to be correct and amended the WRO, according to the press release.
“This modification demonstrates the power of WROs to induce positive change in US supply chains,” said Brenda Smith, Executive Assistant Commissioner of CBP’s Office of Trade. “CBP will prevent any products subject to a WRO from entering the United States until the manufacturer submits proof that there is no forced labor in its supply chain.”