7 February 2002

Duvets, Pillows and Featherbeds

Further to submissions received to the Department's letter dated October 12, 2001, the Department of Finance is proposing that the current tariff item (9921) be replaced with the following 2 items:

Item 1: Duvets, Pillows, Featherbeds

Woven fabrics, unbleached or bleached, solely of single cotton yarns, measuring 70 decitex or more but not exceeding 150 decitex, having a sum of yarns per 10 cm in the warp and the weft of 790 or more, with an air permeability not exceeding 5.0 cm3/cm2-s-1 as determined by CAN/CGSB-4.2 No. 36-M89 for use in the manufacture of shells for duvets, featherbeds and pillows filled solely with "commercial waterfowl feather", "commercial landfowl feather" or "commercial down", or any combination thereof, as defined in the Textile Labelling and Advertising Regulations.

Shells made solely of the above fabrics for use in the manufacture of duvets, featherbeds and pillows filled solely as described above.

Item 2: Featherbeds/Pillows filled mostly with feathers

Woven fabrics, unbleached or bleached, solely of single cotton yarns, measuring 151 decitex or more but not exceeding 300 decitex, having a sum of yarns per 10 cm in the warp and the weft of 790 or more, with an air permeability not exceeding 5.0 cm3/cm2-s-1 as determined by CAN/CGSB-4.2 No. 36-M89, for use in the manufacture of shells for featherbeds and pillows filled solely with one of the following:

"commercial landfowl feather" or "commercial waterfowl feather", or a combination of the two, as defined in the Textile Labelling and Advertising Regulations

-- 85% or more by weight of "commercial waterfowl feather" mixed solely with "commercial down", as defined in the Textile Labelling and Advertising Regulations.
-- 85% or more by weight of "commercial landfowl feather" mixed solely with "commercial down", as defined in the Textile Labelling and Advertising Regulations.
-- 85% or more by weight of a combination of "commercial waterfowl feather" and "commercial landfowl feather" mixed solely with "commercial down", as defined in the Textile Labelling and Advertising Regulations.

Shells made solely of the above fabrics for use in the manufacture of featherbeds and pillows filled solely as described above.

The Department will examine this matter in the context of a forthcoming legislative initiative to amend the Customs Tariff.