Full
Implementation of the Wood Packaging Material
(WPM) Regulation to Begin on September 16,
2005
As published in the September 16,
2004 Federal Register, the United States Department
of Agriculture (USDA) will require all regulated
WPM imported into the U.S. to comply with the
International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC)
standard ISPM#15 (Guidelines for Regulating Wood
Packaging Material in International Trade).
The new regulation states that for imports
into the U.S.:
- WPM in use in international trade must
be treated by heat or by fumigation with methyl
bromide;
- WPM must be marked with the IPPC logo; the
2-letter International Organization for Standardization
(ISO) code for the country that treated the
WPM, the number assigned to the treatment company
and the abbreviation HT (heat treatment) or
MB (methyl bromide);
- Paper certification (treatment certificates)
will not be required or accepted in lieu of
a IPPC mark;
- WPM made of manufactured wood material (e.g.
particle board, plywood, oriented strand board),
wine and whiskey barrels, or WPM made of thin
pieces of wood (6mm/.24”thickness or
less) are exempted from the treatment/marking
requirements;
- WPM made of Canadian origin wood is exempted
from the treatment/marking requirements;
- WPM arriving from Canada will be inspected
for pests and allowed to enter the U.S. without
the IPPC mark. Existing regulations require
commercial shipments of WPM from Canada to
be accompanied by an importer document stating
that they are derived from trees harvested
in Canada.
These regulations will be effective on/after
September 16, 2005. APHIS will use the
intervening time to inform shippers of the new
requirements.
WPM imported after September 15, 2005 without
the IPPC mark must be reexported. Treatment or
destruction will not be permitted. Unmarked
WPM may be separated from the commodity being
imported, if the inspector determines separation
can be done without pest escape. A user fee will
be assessed for supervising the separation of
the WPM from the cargo. Treatment will be allowed
if hitchhiking (non-wood) pests are intercepted
with IPPC marked WPM.
For further information see:
USDA/APHIS Wood Packaging Material import/export
requirements at www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/wpm/ and
International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures
at https://www.ippc.int/IPP/En/default.jsp or
contact our Trade Compliance Services Department
at (716) 692-3100. |
