International Phytosanitary Standard for Wood Packaging ISPM15 Regulations

There has been increasing concern in recentNote this information is provided as a guide only.
years about the spread of pests, such as theIndividual country implementation dates may
Asian longhorn beetle and the Pine Woodchange without notice and it is the responsibility of
Nematode, since wood packaging material madethe exporter to comply with importing country
of unprocessed raw wood provides a pathwayrequirements at the time of export.
for the introduction and spread of such pests.United States
In order to protect worldwide stocks of treesAs of 5 July 2006, imports must comply with
and forests, the International Plant Protectionrequirements of ISPM No. 15 or be subject to
Committee (IPPC) has taken regulatory action toremoval from the importing country. Additional
control the global movement of woodeninformation is available at:
packaging in the form of ISPM15.European Union
Will it Affect Me?Directive 2004/102/EC, which entered into force
If you export wooden packaging that containson 1 March 2005, requires the following measures
sawn timber, such as new or second-hand pallets,to be taken for wood packaging material and
boxes, crates, cable drums etc. outside the or intodunnage entering the EU from all countries:
the EU you will be affected by these newThe wood must be either heat treated or
regulations.fumigated with methyl bromide, in line with ISPM15
Packaging that is made solely from manufacturedprocedures.
board like plywood, OSB, chipboard etc. is exempt.The wood must be officially marked with the
The new regulations will apply to all arrivals atISPM15 stamp.
destination ports, airports etc. This means that allFrom 1 January 2009, all wood packaging material
shipments will need to be treated approximatelyimported into the EU must be debarked. Dunnage
eight weeks before despatch, depending onmust meet the same criteria as wood packaging
transit times.material. However, it is exempted until the end of
How can I Comply?2007 if it is made of wood free from bark, pests
The approved measures that have been adoptedand signs of live pests. Additional information is
are as follows:available at:
Heat treatment of wood packaging, whichUnited Kingdom
requires heating of the timber to a minimum coreThe Forestry Commission are the UK's
temperature of 56C for a minimum of 30 minutesrepresentative on the IPPC.
(HT).orRowlinson Packaging were the first wooden case
Fumigation, using Methyl Bromide (MB) to themaker in the UK to buy and install a heat
relevant specification.chamber, specifically designed for heat treatment.
In order to join to scheme, manufacturers needThis allows them to treat either timber or finished
to demonstrate that they meet the requirementscases and pallets from their site at Wardle in
to a third party assessor. RegisteredCheshire, in the most cost effective manner.
manufacturers are authorised to use to ISPM15The treatment (HT and MB) lasts for life, so
mark, which includes the country of origin and athere is no need to re-treat for returnable
unique manufacturer's registration numberpackaging.
I need more information, where can I find it?