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2003 Newsletters

April  2004             

USDA Update on Wood Packing Import Restrictions

Contacts at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) have provided updated information on USDA's implementation plans for mandatory requirements on the import into the United States of wood packing materials from all countries. APHIS personnel said that the agency anticipates that it will publish its final rule on imported solid wood packing material in April or May 2004, but emphasized that APHIS is still unable to provide the exact publication date. Regardless, it is anticipated that the new solid wood packing material requirements will be enforced no sooner than 6 months from the publication date of the final rule.

APHIS has published an industry alert providing the status of the agency's progress toward implementing the new mandatory requirements. The industry alert can be accessed on the agency's web site at: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/swp/. This alert states that athough APHIS was not anticipating the finalization of the wood packing materials rule until later in 2004, the agency intends to issue notices to the National Plant Protection Organizations (NPPO) in the country of export, for material inappropriately treated and marked, starting in January of 2004.

In addition to the update on the future implementation of the new regulations, APHIS has issued the following list of details about the United States' implementation of the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM 15) on hard or softwood used as packaging materials, including dunnage:

• Any unmanufactured wood packaging material coming to the U.S. has to be treated and marked according to ISPM 15.

• This measure is paperless, so no fumigation or heat treatment certificate is required.

• The XX designation on the right hand side of the ISPM mark represents the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) two letters country code.

• The 000 (on the ISPM mark) is a unique number assigned by the National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) to a producer of a wood packaging material. This producer is responsible for ensuring that appropriate wood is used and properly marked.

• The YY designation (on the ISPM mark) is the IPPC abbreviation for the approved measure used.

• The two current designations are HT (heat treatment) and MB (methyl bromide).

• The use of red or orange should be avoided since these colors are used in the labeling of dangerous goods.

• Markings should be legible, permanent and not transferable (tags are not allowed), placed in a visible location on at least two opposite sides of the article being certified.

• Anyone can reuse any pallet as long as it meets the required measures as mentioned above, and has never been repaired or fixed unless being treated again.

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