Heat Treated Pallets
International
Standard for Phytosanitary Measures ISPM15
guide for regulatory wood and wood packaging
in international trade.
The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization
(FAO) Interim Commission on Phytosanitary Measures
adopted ISPM15 in March 2002. This means that countries
can now decide to implement these internationally
recognized import regulations to prevent the spread
of wood pests.
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Treatment measures approved under ispm15
Heat treatment (HT) to a minimum core temperature
of 56oC for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Fumigation, using Methyl Bromide (MB) to the prescribed
dosage and temperature.
To attest to compliance to the standard the pallet
must be clearly marked on 2 faces showing the official
IPPC logo, a 2 letter country code (xx), a unique
number (000) assigned by the National Plant Protection
Organization (NPPO), HT for Heat Treatment or MB for
Methyl Bromide and DB to signify debarked.
It is unclear when the use of the IPPC logo will
be mandatory and when some countries will stipulate
its use. Members of the UK Forestry Commission Wood
Marking Programme are being advised to implement the
IPPC logo albeit remains optional. Marking pallets
with the NPPO stamp without the IPPC logo was a practice
introduced by the EU to enable re-import of pallets
originating and treated in the EU, back from the USA,
Canada, China and Japan. The European Commission introduced
regulations 1 October 2001 to control the importation
of wood packaging from these countries, these regulations
are still in force requiring pallets to be HT or MB
treated.
The current position regarding implementation of
the international regulations is; New Zealand has
announced (April 2003) new regulations that include
acceptance of pallets that comply with ISPM15.
Republic of Korea has issued formal notice to implement ispm15.
China will only accept wooden pallets stamped DB-HT
or DB-MB with the accompaniment of a phytosanitary
certificate.
The North American Plant Protection Organization (NAPPO),
which covers Canada, USA and Mexico, have announced
these countries will implement ISPM15 2 January 2004
The EU is planning implementation in January 2004
and is expected to publish its proposals in September/October
this year.
Other countries that have not made clear their intent
at this stage, because import regulations differ depending
on the exporting country.
REPAIR OF ISPM15 COMPLIANT WOOD PACKAGING
MATERIAL
Following repair, the entire item of wood packaging
must be re-treated and re-marked. This includes repaired,
recycled and re-manufactured wood packaging material.
For example, pallets marked HT that are repaired must
be re heat treated in their entirety (i.e., the complete
pallet). The accreditation mark of the repairer must
be applied, and all previous ISPM15 marks must be
removed.
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