ISPM 15 Solid Wood Packaging Update
(May 12, 2004)

Countries with implementation changes since last update (April 15, 2004)

European Union
The European Commission has announced (subject to final adoption scheduled for June) that all EU nations will implement ISPM 15 starting March 1, 2005. However, while the ISPM 15 does not require the debarking of wood packaging, the EU said in early draft language that it must be “stripped of its bark.” They have amended that condition somewhat and now state they will make a distinction between conditions where wood must be bark-free and where it must be debarked and will recognize FAO Glossary of Phytosanitary Terms definitions for those processes. It is unknown when specifics of those requirements will be determined.

India
Last month we told you that India’s Ministry of Agriculture had notified WTO of their intention to adopt ISPM 15, but had not yet determined a proposed date for implementation. They just announced wood packaging will be required to be ISPM 15-compliant effective June 1, 2004.

South Africa
Based on their WTO notification, the RSA Department of Agriculture will start implementing ISPM 15 on January 1, 2005.

Other News

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has contracted with NWPCA through a sublicense agreement to authorize the use of the IPPC treatment mark for fumigation. The agreement allows those facilities registered in NWPCA’s Fumigation Program to use the IPPC logo on all wood packaging materials fumigated with methyl bromide (MB) or any fumigants to be determined to be effective in the future. Anyone not enrolled in the NWPCA program caught using the mark can be prosecuted by APHIS for fraud. Conditions for using the fumigation mark are consistent with those of the ALSC Heat Treatment program.

www.nwpca.com/ExportTreatment/ProgramOverview.htm

Current info for other countries that have begun implementation process:

Australia

April 2, 2004, the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS) released a quarantine alert in which they proposed inserting ISPM 15 into their current import requirements for solid wood packaging (similar to the way New Zealand handled the standard). However, AQIS seems to intend to introduce the following additional conditions that are not part of ISPM 15:

*Must be bark-free.
*More rigorous MB fumigation schedule.
*Mandatory packing declaration.

Proposed implementation date of these new requirements is 01 July 2004.

Brazil
In March 2004, Brazil’s Secretary for Plant and Animal Health Protection announced emergency requirements that began ISPM 15 implementation retroactively to January 2004.

Canada
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) started implementing their new regulation starting January 2004. Wood packaging imported from the U.S. is exempt from treatment and marking.

China
The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIS) has not decided when it will implement their new regulation for imported solid wood packaging. In discussions with APHIS, they indicated there would be an advance notice for implementation and a phase-in period. For now heat treatment with certification through APHIS is the only recognized method for softwood; hardwood is exempt but still requires certification (we recommend use of the NC-US voluntary mark).

Japan
Japan is no longer considering ISPM 15 in the foreseeable future.

Korea
The Korean National Plant Quarantine Service has published its rule adopting ISPM 15. They intend for their regulation to go into effect June 1, 2005. At this time, they will only accept heat treatment for coniferous wood; hardwood can be fumigated or heat treated.

Mexico
According to Secretaria de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturale’s (SEMARNAT) staff, Mexico is going to release its final rule before the end of the year. However, they say Mexico’s import requirements for solid wood packaging will not be implemented until middle of 2005.

Switzerland
Switzerland is the first non-EU member that has passed legislation adopting ISPM 15. They say implementation will start July 1, 2004.

United States
As of January 2004, APHIS began encouraging all importers to use ISPM 15-compliant wood packaging in anticipation of future implementation of the regulation. The final rule is expected to be released by the third quarter of 2004 with a one-year grace period before enforcement penalties are levied.

New Zealand
New Zealand has fully implemented and is enforcing ISPM 15.