Representatives from around 90 countries passed in March a global pest management standard for wood packaging. The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) debated provisions and emerged with a standard covering both hardwood and softwood packaging including pallets, dunnage and crates.
The IPPC standard requires that all packaging made of unprocessed raw wood be treated and marked. This requirement has been put in place to reduce the spread of insects around the globe. Implementation of the standard has been left up to each country. Some countries may act quickly. According to the USDA, Canada and Europe are expected to start implementing the standard by the end of 2002 if not earlier. Other countries may follow suit sometime next year.
When will you need to be in compliance? The European Union already requires that softwood packaging be treated and marked. Both softwood and hardwood packaging fall under the new international standard. Your compliance timetable depends on your customers and where they send their packaging. It all depends on when the momentum builds for compliance. As the EU, North America and other industrialized markets move to implement the standard, many packaging users will apply increased pressure on suppliers to only provide them with certified packaging. The standard does not set implementation deadlines or even require compliance. Plus, not every country belongs to the IPPC. For example, China is not a member at this time. Thus, if you are looking for a simple answer to compliance questions, you’re not going to get it. Your certification agency and trade associations, such as the National Wooden Pallet & Container Association, can provide more complete consultation services.
An international standard has been in the works for a couple of years. One major sticking point was a clause desired by European countries requiring that all wood used for packaging be completely bark free. According to a USDA spokesman, “after tough negotiations,” the convention reached middle ground on the issue. The debarking clause was changed from a mandatory requirement to an optional measure. Countries can require debarking if they can show need for such action based upon scientific data. It is doubtful that progressive countries would have to debark wood. Depending on their treatment practices and the infestation risk, third world countries may not be as lucky.
Concerned about the pinewood nematode, Japan, Korea and China mounted a campaign to lengthen fumigation treatment schedules. The IPPC may change fumigation requirements in the coming year according to Bill Snell, a director with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service. Fumigation has also attracted opposition from environmental groups concerned about the use of methyl bromide, an ozone-depleting chemical. Bill said that many countries are looking for other viable options to methyl bromide due to the environmental concern associated with its use.
For more information on the phytosanitary issue, visit our Web site at www.palletenterprise.com/pests.
