Ligia Bonetti, president of the Association of Industries of the Dominican Republic, has told the media that they have received reports that the Haitian cabinet has approved a decree that bans the production, import, marketing and use of polyethylene (plastic) bags and polystyrene packaging (foam). The order would go into effect on 1 August 2013. According to reports, the Haitian authorities are already confiscating these imports. Plastics are a major export from the Dominican Republic to Haiti.
The Haitian government recently banned the import of eggs and chickens from the Dominican Republic, initially saying that the ban was because of avian flu in the Dominican Republic. When this was disputed, the Haitian government said it wanted to collect more taxes.